Blue
by Tanya Lilac
Summary: They'd been torn apart for three years. When she finally saw him again, she had no idea who he was until he kissed her. They had changed, and she had done so in more ways than Neji could have ever imagined. NejiTen [Revised]
1. Beach

**Chapter One: Beach**

Tenten looked around, surveying the sparse vegetation around the house and the sandy beaches that the house overlooked.

"It's beautiful," Tenten murmured and Neji, standing near her, nodded in agreement. The smell of salt was sharp and the wind almost cruel, but Tenten didn't mind- it was all a part of being near the beach.

The two of them turned their attention to a beautiful, modern beach house. The east and western sides of the house had large glass windows, allowing a view of the sunset and sunrise everyday, and letting the light flood into all of the living areas. The warm yellow slats on the outside of the house were resistant to the harsh conditions of the wind, sand, salt and sun and were as impeccably bright as the first day that they had been lovingly painted.

They walked into the house, taking off their shoes in the lavish, semicircle shaped foyer. The floor was made of cream and warm coloured marble and formed a kind of intricate geometrical design that was placed directly beneath a crystal and gold chandelier- but it had light bulbs instead of candles. A curved staircase ran along the curved side of the wall, the banister the same cream colour- but it had lacquered wood that was smooth, and it shone brilliantly in the warm light. It was more of a modern design, for it had nothing underneath the beech steps and the supporting beam that ran along beneath it.

Tenten quickly flitted upstairs and into the master bedroom. There was a small balcony that faced the west, along with a walk-in wardrobe and a beautiful white marble and gold en-suite bathroom.

"This… is…" Tenten began. "So beautiful… I think I've always dreamed of living in a house like this." She laughed, and fell back onto the white bed. She propped herself up onto her elbows and looked at him questioningly.

"Really?" Neji strode towards her silently and gently pushed her back onto the bed, lying down beside her. Their lips met in a gentle, chaste kiss and Tenten looked into Neji's lilac eyes.

"So… are we doing anything tonight?" the kunoichi asked, as curious as ever.

Neji sighed.

----x----

The sun continued on its path through the sky and Tenten and Neji spent their day settling in and unpacking, then going for a swim in the pool which was filled with, not surprisingly, sea water. The pool was built on a cliff that looked down onto the peachy sunset-dyed sea.

"Come on, Tenten- it's time to get ready." Neji said as he stepped out of the water. The water droplets fell away from his skin and out of his hair and he looked like some kind of god in the sunset rays. Tenten refrained from letting her jaw drop.

"Quick or we'll be late for our appointment!" Neji said. Tenten smiled up at him, and pushed herself up onto the pool ledge and wrapped herself into her white toweling kimono (aka bath robe).

Once in the bathroom, Tenten washed her hair thoroughly, getting rid of any of the salty scent of the ocean by washing her hair with a new pomegranate, lychee and persimmon shampoo and conditioner and the matching body wash. The kunoichi dried her hair with the blow drier and then gathered up her clothes and threw them into the laundry chute that was concealed in the hall way.

"Neji?" Tenten pulled her bath robe tightly around her naked form. "Where are we going?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" Neji replied from the bedroom. Tenten walked in and Neji was standing in front of his wardrobe, looking for something to wear.

"Here," Tenten quickly picked out a casual suit from the rack and pressed the hanger into his hands. "Now, tell me- where are we going?"

"Out, for dinner." Neji said, looking at Tenten's clothes. He suddenly saw the sapphire dress and pulled it out of the armoire. "Why don't you wear this? It'll match your bracelet."

Tenten smiled and fingered the end of the sleeve- it had no threads sewn onto the ends to neaten up the hem or to prevent fraying because both were not possible, as the store keeper had said. She loved the way it seemed to just vanish and fade at the end.

"Okay." She smiled as she pulled on some underwear and removed the dress from her coat hanger. The dress was designed to be worn for missions that would require one to have concealed weapons, yet look inconspicuous and appropriately attired at the same time. Tenten put her arm through the left sleeve, and then the right, leaving it open at the front like a long blue jacket. She found the hooks and clips in the side seams of the dress, closed it properly, and spun around a few times.

The small breeze caught Neji's attention. He glanced up and saw Tenten, whirling around on her tiptoes in a dress that looked stunningly gorgeous on her. The V-neck cut of the dress revealed half of her shoulders and stopped just before revealing too much and the way the silken fabric wrapped around her form was flattering and showed off her curves, but it was not skin tight.

The long, flowing sleeves curved slightly at the beginning of her wrists, came to an angle and covered her hands which could easily hold and hide any weapon that she chose. The hem of her outfit ended around ten centimeters before her knees and simply faded away like gossamer silk, without any threads to neaten it up or to cut off.

On top of all of this, the fabric subtly shifted in its weave- it was solid in some areas, and diaphanous and wispy in others, miraculously revealing nothing it covered. Neji smiled. It was a worthwhile purchase.

Tenten felt Neji's eyes upon her and looked up. She smiled and walked over to him noiselessly, the bottom of her dress fluttering in her stride.

"Yes?" she asked softly, her deep mahogany eyes staring into his silver ones. Another question was about to leave her mouth when Neji gently cupped her face in his hands and bent his head slowly, and he kissed her gently, inexorably and lovingly on her lips. The kunoichi brought her hands up and put them behind his neck, and Neji pulled Tenten deeper into the curve of his lean body, enveloping himself in her scent- and that of her newly washed hair.

----x----

The pair stepped out of the beach house at around seven o'clock that night. It was wonderfully cool in the early autumn weather, and it was a perfect night out.

Tenten was drawing many stares with her attire. She was oblivious to everything but Neji, that, or she was just ignoring the stirring she was beginning to cause. Her beauty was natural and radiant like the sun and the hue and cut of the dress suited her magnificently, along with the twisting, elaborate necklace the kunoichi wore at her throat.

"So," Tenten said as she leaned her head on Neji's shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"Hn."

"Fine, be that way." Tenten said, standing up properly and walking at a smaller distance away while their fingers were still interlaced. Neji smirked and pulled her closer to him at once.

"We're going…" he began, "to the best kept secret in this area."

"You found the best kept secret in this area?" Tenten asked, a bit doubtful.

"There's a reason why my eyes are white, you know." Neji said dryly and Tenten sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Neji, sometimes, you make my blood boil." The kunoichi said in a low voice.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Neji asked innocently, his smirk ruining the whole effect.

"Just shut up and take me there." Tenten replied, a humoured smile brightening up her face.

Neji shrugged and guided Tenten out of the main road. It split into two, and both were dead ends. The alley way was dark and lit by only a few lanterns. The kunoichi could make out a pale door at the end of the road that drew her attention away from the gloomy walls and doors in the street.

They walked at a measured pace and Tenten hummed absentmindedly. She couldn't shake off the apprehensive feeling building up in her chest- something would happen tonight.

Neji and Tenten reached the door, and two words gleamed under the moonlight.

"The Garden," Tenten murmured. Neji opened the door and Tenten stepped through, her breath stolen momentarily. She removed her shoes and her feet touched the spongy, lush grass.

"It's all… real?" she asked no one in particular as she looked around, awed.

The sky above and around her was navy and sprinkled liberally with stars. There were chairs and tables dotting around the area, along with blossoming sakura trees.

"Aren't they out of season?" Tenten turned to face Neji.

He smiled briefly at her reverent tone, and stood at her side. A gentle breeze blew through the area, the subtle scent of the sakura blossoms momentarily replaced by Tenten's fruity, aromatic hair as the silken strands caressed his face.

"No, miss- they do not go out of season in the Garden." A waiter appeared at Tenten's side.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Hyuuga-reserved table for two?" he looked down a checklist which he had conjured from somewhere.

"That's correct," the said Hyuuga replied.

"Follow me, please," the waiter turned smartly and weaved his way through the numerous tables at which many couples were dining. Tenten was mildly surprised.

"How come so many people know about this place? It seems so out of the way… and secretive."

The head waiter turned and smiled at her, one that Tenten mirrored tentatively.

"Word of mouth is one of the methods that we rely on."

Tenten nodded, and the waiter turned around and led the pair to a small, screened off area. There was a willow tree growing on the other side, and a small table set for two, with candles and flowers. Tenten smiled as Neji pushed in her seat and the man serving at their table handed the couple a menu each.

They ordered their food and Neji ordered some red wine. Their waiter poured the blood red liquid into the wine glasses and left them alone.

"This is so…" Tenten sighed dreamily as she swished the wine around in the glass. Neji interpreted it the wrong way.

"Is there something wrong with it?" he asked.

"No, there is nothing…" but Tenten knew she was lying. She placed the glass back onto the table.

Neji quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I think I might be a bit paranoid but there's something telling me that there's something wrong." She said quietly, her lips barely moving, staring into the plum coloured depths of the drink.

After a while, she shook her head and looked at Neji. He crossed his arms and sat back, as if contemplating her words.

"What are we going to do, then?" he asked just as softly, with his lips just as tight.

"I guess we wait- I could be wrong, and even if something does happen, we will be prepared." Tenten smiled brightly and laughed as a waitress appeared.

Neji uncrossed his arms and sat straighter in his chair once more and smiled ever so slightly.

'These people,' he thought, 'come and go silently. There's something disconcerting about it, and I am not sure whether or not they are listening to what we say.'

He looked into Tenten's eyes as the waitress served them their meal and Neji knew that the kunoichi was thinking the same thing.

Neji activated the Byakugan without a word and quickly scanned the area. There was no one in the vicinity.

Tenten lifted her glass and Neji reflected her actions, and the two wine glasses met with a gentle chime. As if on cue, the screen ripped apart and a man with blue hair and violet eyes stood in its place.

"What is the meaning of this?" Neji thundered, rising from his seat. It took much of Tenten's restraint to not flinch.

The man didn't reply. Tenten stood and positioned herself beside the Hyuuga, the wine glass still in her hands.

The man strode confidently over to the pair, and the kunoichi fluidly threw the wine glass into his face. The wine mixed with blood as it streamed down his face, shards of glass cutting his eyes.

"Tenten!" Neji said, grasping her hand. "Let's go!" he barraged past the man who was groaning in pain, and they leapt over the angry staff and dining patrons and into the street. The shinobi and kunoichi jumped up nimbly onto the roof tops. Unfortunately, there were people already waiting for them.

A figure launched itself at the Hyuuga and he was quickly eliminated with swift, brutal strokes to his chest.

The kunoichi found what she wanted within the folds of her sleeves and pulled. The silken, flowing fabric ripped cleanly and soundlessly, and fell away, revealing her pale arms. She twisted the metal rods in her arms with impossible speed, and the men screamed as they were killed by the whirring metal. The kunoichi connected the magnetized ends and tried to pull them apart. They would not budge. She smiled satisfactorily and twirled her newly made bladed staff.

Neji dispatched the last few men and jumped off the roof.

"We need to get back to the house!" he said to Tenten who nodded tersely beside him, her sleeves fluttering behind her like wings.

They landed on another rooftop and they both slipped on the oil slicked tiles.

Tenten, who was bare foot, slipped further than the prodigy, and slammed her staff into the rocks, fixing chakra to her hands and feet to enable her to hold on firmly. She quickly jumped up to where Neji was standing.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her closely.

"I'm fine-come on, we have to get back!" Tenten's voice showed her calm and collectedness, and Neji nodded, took her hand, and they jumped off the oily roof and onto another.

It burst into flames.

The pair leapt again down onto the main street where they landed and began to run down the street. A few moments later, a gang of fifteen men appeared on all sides of the pair. They were trapped.

Tenten engulfed the staff in chakra, increasing the blades' length and thickness. Neji took up his Jyuuken fighting stance, and prepared to fight.

They paused for a moment to get their breath back, and they were off in a flash, eliminating the number of enemies.

Tenten swung the staff in a smooth arc, and twirled it above her head and brought it down, spinning it rapidly and the metal was soon stained red, even with the chakra surrounding it.

Neji let his chakra rush though his body, and felt his opponents enter his field of vision in his mind. With deft, fluid moves, all six were dead on the ground, their hearts beating no more.

The Hyuuga and weapons specialist looked at each other for a brief instant before running again.

When they arrived at the beach house, there were already a group of around a hundred people there.

"Damn it!" Tenten swore in a low voice.

They leapt off the ground and into a tree. The couple had already been spotted however, and the weapons began to fly up to meet them. The metal projectiles were deflected by the trees and the pair soared into the air, towards the house.

A few shinobi jumped into the air to meet them. Tenten gritted her teeth in pain as one threw several shuriken in her direction, but made no sound whatsoever. The kunoichi thrust her bladed staff down and the opposing ninja fell to the floor, blood leaking out of his skull.

She threw her weight forwards and felt a tingling over her skin as she passed through a chakra resistant barrier. Neji followed her shortly afterwards, although he was much less injured. He landed first, being heavier, and caught the injured kunoichi as she fell.

"Tenten!" he said, shaking her gently. Tenten opened her eyes slightly, her breathing quick and shallow. She lifted her hand to her mouth as she coughed and blood dripped from her fingers as her hand lowered down to the ground slowly. Her eyes rolled back into their sockets, and Neji tensed- he knew what kind of poison that was pumping through her veins

Neji kicked the door open and placed the kunoichi on the couch. He quickly gathered a pile of cloths, bandages and a bowl of warm water, along with an antidote for the poison.

The Hyuuga removed the cap of the syringe, flicked the plastic tube gently and injected the clear fluid into the kunoichi's body. Tenten moaned, and Neji murmured soothingly as he removed the weapons from her flesh, trying to stem the flow of blood that came from the wounds. He then unclipped the front of the dress, revealing Tenten's toned stomach which had been cut. Strangely enough, the dress was unstained and uncut apart from what had used to be the sleeves. The shinobi removed the dress entirely and set to work wiping the wounds and trying to prevent infection from setting in. The cuts were mainly on her stomach and arms.

When he was finished, Neji picked Tenten's limp form up once more and carried her swiftly upstairs, setting her down on the bed, and covered her securely with the thick blanket.

The Hyuuga then went down the hall and washed his hands until they were red, raw, and free of blood. He threw his clothes into the laundry chute and mechanically pulled on some pants before going downstairs. Neji burned the rags and threw the bloodied water down the sink. He glimpsed the dress and picked it up, then slung it over the couch.

Sighing, Neji made his way up to his bedroom where Tenten was resting, and sat down in a chair, trying not to think about what had happened in the space of the last twenty four hours. But sleep was just as welcome to his tired body however, and all he could do was wait.


	2. Antidote

**Chapter Two: Antidote **

Tenten woke groggily the next morning. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the red skin around Neji's eyes- he hadn't slept much at all during the previous night. She lifted her arms which felt cumbersome and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, yawned and stretched. She felt the necklace she'd been wearing last night still on her skin and she took it off, placing it on the bedside table slowly. She felt her limbs begin to work again and the weapons expert found it to be an extremely welcome feeling.

Neji sat up, and looked around wildly before his eyes settled on the kunoichi.

"How are you?" he asked hoarsely.

"Fine," Tenten smiled. She tilted her head to the side, and Neji slid into the bed, gently pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Do you still feel dizzy?" Neji asked.

Tenten shook her head.

"No," she smiled, but the look faded away as she remembered what had happened the previous night. Neji knew what she was thinking about, and placed a finger on her lips.

"We're on holiday. They're made for sleeping in and relaxing. Considering that we haven't really been doing the latter, we might as well do the first," he kissed her lips sensuously, seductively.

The Hyuuga ran his fingers through Tenten's hair, slightly knotted from sleep, and gently freed the small tangles. He fixed his mouth on her neck, slowly licking and rubbing the soft skin of her collarbone with his tongue.

------------------ (I can't believe I just wrote that!)-----------------

Neji lay contentedly underneath the sheets and looked down at the lightly dozing figure that was lying within the protective circle of his strong, lean arms.

"Stop staring at me-it makes me feel uncomfortable," Tenten sighed blissfully and opened her eyes slowly. Neji smiled and kissed her. It was just a soft touching of his lips against her pink, petal soft ones which lasted for a brief moment.

Tenten smiled up into his face and moved closer to him. She loved the feeling of his skin against hers: smooth, warm and perfect in every way. The kunoichi gently kissed the Hyuuga's collarbone, and many followed in a long, frustratingly slow trail up to the waiting mouth.

There was a sudden tingle in Tenten's stomach, followed by an embarrassing rumble.

"Well, I guess my body couldn't go any longer without food- there's only so much it can take… how long has it been?" Tenten glanced at the clock, and her jaw dropped. "24 hours!"

Neji grinned, and gently pushed the kunoichi's mouth shut. She hissed and snapped at his digit, and missed, luckily.

Tenten narrowed her eyes. It was too much, and Neji burst into laughter, and Tenten rolled off his chest.

"You're terribly immature," she said primly and slid out of the bed wearing not a single article of clothing.

She chewed on her bottom lip and walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a silk pink robe. Tenten pulled on some underwear and then the robe on top, tying it together with a matching sash, and slipped on her bangle.

"Come on… Neji," Tenten sat back down on the bed, and kissed Neji's forehead. "Get out of bed…"

Neji smirked up at her, and Tenten rewarded him with a cuff to the side of the head. He quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down onto the bed with him. The weapons expert squealed and squirmed as Neji spread her arms out and pinned down her wrists.

Tenten pushed her feet up onto Neji's bared stomach and pushed him off her body, then they flipped over and their positions became reversed with Neji on the verge of falling off the bed. Unfortunately, Tenten was in the same boat and due to Neji's satin boxers which he had pulled on while Tenten was dressing, they fell off the king-sized, white Egyptian cotton clad bed into an ungraceful heap.

Tenten was laughing hysterically.

"I don't think there's anything funny about this, especially since the cuts on your stomach and back just reopened," Neji informed her calmly.

Tenten sighed, stood up and lifted her hand to where one of the cuts on her stomach was located. The kunoichi gingerly placed her hand on it and the bandage did not stain. The cut must have been shallow; otherwise it would have continued to bleed during the night as she slept in Neji's arms.

"Shut up," Tenten smiled and walked out of the room, down the stairs into the kitchen, leaving Neji on the floor without bothering to aid him in standing.

Ten minutes later, the pair were enjoying their meal and looking out to the ocean from their view on the balcony that hung a few meters away from and above the pool.

Neji had procured a bottle of white wine from somewhere, and they were slowly making their way through a large bowl of fried rice.

"I think everything tastes batter when you can smell the ocean." Tenten thought aloud, leaning against the railing of the balcony.

The large bowl sat about a third full on the table behind the kunoichi and Neji was pouring out glasses of wine. He stood and turned around.

A mild sea breeze blew gently through her satiny hair and blew back her silk robe, revealing her toned stomach. Without a word, Neji handed her the glass and Tenten thanked him with a gracious smile.

"Cheers," the two said in unison, and their glasses met with a melodic chime.

Tenten tilted the glass backwards towards her mouth and the golden liquid spread a small tingle down her throat as she sipped at it.

"Happy anniversary, Tenten," Neji said. "I think I forgot to say it last night."

"Well of course you did," Tenten smiled happily as Neji bent his head and kissed her.

The combination of the wine and the sensation of Neji's tongue dancing with her own and exploring her mouth was each as intoxicating as the other.

A low husky sound escaped from the back of Neji's throat when Tenten abruptly broke away with a cheeky smile on her face. Within moments, the kunoichi's lips returned briefly to the Hyuuga's before softly kissing and licking the base of Neji's pale throat.

"You know, you two should save stuff like that for the bedroom."

Neji opened his silvery white eyes.

"Have you anything better to do than to annoy us on our holiday?" Tenten asked the newcomer, sighing tiredly, without turning around.

"Well," Temari leaned on the balcony and propped up her fan beside her. She looked down, held out her hand and inspected her nails critically. "Not really," she finished after a long time.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Tenten asked, smiling.

"Mmm… nothing, really. I just had a bit of an argument with Kankuro and left the house." Temari shrugged.

"And travelled three hours to get to a particular spot on a particular beach?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.

The sand kunoichi ignored his comment.

"I need to get him a girlfriend," Temari said, in regards to her brother. "He's like twenty-five or something- I can't remember anymore, unmarried, single and crashing at his younger sister's house. It's so sad."

Tenten laughed.

"So… can I stay here for a few days?" Temari asked suddenly.

"Sure. There's plenty of room," Tenten said, without a moment of hesitation.

"Let's get inside then, a storm is coming." Temari said, picking up the bowl of fried rice and her fan as she entered the house.

The kunoichi's prediction came true at sunset. A few hours later, a heavy mist blew in from the sea and Tenten had decided to bake a cake to warm up the house. Temari was making cookie dough from the top of her head, and Neji was sitting on a kitchen stool, watching the two women move purposefully around the kitchen.

"You know," Temari said as she mixed the oats, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie dough together with her hands, "there are a few hundred guys camped around the house- do you know what it is about?"

Tenten separated the last egg yolks and discarded the cracked eggshell in the bin.

"Something happened last night," she said softly.

"We were in town, and we were going out for dinner. Someone attacked us," Neji explained simply, watching as the electric mixer wound around and around in the steel mixing bowl.

"What did they look like? Have you gone after them yet?" Temari asked her tone somewhat casual.

"It was a man. He had royal blue hair and eyes that were a kind of bruised violet colour." Tenten replied, adding sugar to the egg whites.

Neji looked at Temari, a steely glint in his eyes that were slowly shifting to match the stormy grey of the clouds outside.

"Why do you ask? What was the real reason you left Sunakagure? You really didn't 'fight' Kankuro, did you?" Neji asked.

Temari avoided his gaze and looked at the flour falling through the sieve as Tenten sifted the white powder. Her own hands lay idle in the mixture, and she started rolling the dough into balls, then lay them flat and put them onto the greased baking paper on the tray.

"Kankuro, on a recent mission, heard some report that there was some trouble down here, and it had been the source of a new tenant in the area," Temari began.

"When did they move in and where do they live?" Neji asked abruptly.

"A few months ago, on the other side of the bay mouth to the west."

"What's this newcomer's name?" Tenten asked, feeling the tension in the room slide up a few notches.

Temari sighed.

"He calls himself a Hyuuga, and that's all we know."

Neji's face did not change, or twitch in any manner. His hands stayed relaxed, as did his body's posture and language.

A few minutes dragged sluggishly by as Temari looked down at her hands, realized that they were grabbing at only air, and the bowl was empty, and the several trays she had put out were full.

Tenten slid the three trays into the oven, along with the cake tin for her sponge cake, and started to load the dishwasher with the dirty utensils they had used in their cooking.

The weapons specialist briskly washed her hands and dried them quickly on her apron, which she threw off and hung back up in a broom cupboard.

A tense moment passed between the trio, and Neji spoke first.

"What crimes has he committed?"

"None as far as we have found out, but there's been several complaints that people have had their money stolen, but family members and witnesses say that they saw the person collect all of their money and disappear for a few hours, then be found hours later in the middle of nowhere, their money and memories gone of what happened, with no sign of a struggle upon them. Does it sound familiar to either of you?"

"I…" Tenten struggled to form the words. "I had an experience last year- there was a man in the market and there was a weird thing that happened. I can't remember what it was, but there was something telling me to give him money or something like it."

Temari looked at her keenly.

"What happened? Did you find out his name?"

"No."

"We need to find out more," Temari said.

"You don't say," Tenten replied sarcastically. "But we can't go out- everyone will recognize me and Neji."

"Fine- I'll do some undercover work then." Temari sighed.

"But even if they don't recognize you, you have come out of the house- which makes you a target." Tenten said, frowning.

"There is a secret passage beneath the house," Neji said suddenly. "They apparently built it for situations like this."

The three walked down to the basement of the house. Neji pressed a panel in the wall and a hole opened up in the middle of the floor. It was lit on one side with soft, glowing lights, and the other wall had rings on it.

After a long moment, Neji jumped down to the bottom- the length of the tunnel was similar to that of a ten story building, but then extended horizontally for about two hundred meters.

Pressing yet another panel, another hole opened up, but this time, it was on the dead end of the tunnel. The roar of the ocean echoed in the tunnel, and the rain and wind filtered in, the wind howling eerily. Tenten suppressed a shiver.

"The sun has already set- besides, the rain would have made it impossible to stay on that narrow path on the cliff there," Neji gestured to the left, and the two could only just make out the terrace carved into the rock face.

"So what do we do, then?" Temari asked.

"We wait-and we'll plan tomorrow," Tenten replied simply and began to walk down the tunnel, back up to the living area of the house.

It wasn't until much later that Tenten recalled her thoughts.

"Neji?" she murmured softly. She lifted her head from his chest. Neji was lying back on the bed with his silvery eyes wide open, reflecting the moonlight and the stars.

"I'm sorry," She said softly.

"For what?"

"It's our anniversary, and we're going on a mission."

"It's not your fault," Neji said softly, putting his hand on the kunoichi's soft hair, and gently laying her head on his shoulder. "It's no one's fault."

Tenten sighed, thinking about Neji's words, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. She stared out the glass door by the bed, and gazed upon the stars in the indigo skies.

"Goodnight, Tenten," Neji murmured. The sound of his voice was like rumbling thunder in Tenten's ears.

The kunoichi fell into a dreamless sleep, and was suddenly awoken by rough hands that grabbed her shoulders in a vice like grip. The kunoichi kicked and screamed, but to no avail. Her assailant licked her face roughly, and something within Tenten snapped, releasing a torrent of adrenaline into her system. The weapons specialist snarled like a cat and she jerked her hand free and clawed the man on top of her across the face. He had his revenge moments later by kissing her with a brutal and bruising violence, and Tenten felt the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.

She screamed and tried to writhe out of his grip once more, but he did not relent, pushing her up against the bed, pinning her wrists down to her sides, and straddling her waist. He bent down and kissed her gently, mockingly and whispered in the lusty voice of a lover, "Its okay, Tenten, I won't hurt you."

Tenten looked up, her pupils dilated with fear, and the adrenaline rush was going to waste in her veins. All she could see was a pair of clear, blue eyes glittering maliciously in the darkness.

"Don't worry," he said softly by her ear. Tenten tried to turn to look at his face, but something kept stopping her. "Our time will come, and you _will _meet me."

Tenten jerked awake, bolting into a sitting position. She took several shuddering breaths and tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably, sweat leaking from her pores. Then, she took notice of her surroundings.

The lights were on in the room, Neji was sitting up beside her, rubbing her back, and Temari sat on the side of the bed, looking upon her friend concernedly.

"Are you okay?" Neji asked, knowing full well the answer.

The kunoichi registered the taste of blood on her tongue, and the throbbing of her swelling lip. She licked her lips nervously as she held up her shaking hands. Her wrists were purple and bruised, almost until breaking point, but the thing that scared her most was the blood on her nails.

"What happened?" Temari asked.

"I dreamed," Tenten replied faintly, shutting her eyes dizzily.

**E: Yeah- lots go cut out of this- like 2 pages. I hope you liked it better… **

**E2: Even more got cut out. Wow. **


	3. Mission

**Chapter Three: Mission**

"Dreams don't leave you with broken wrists, Tenten," Neji said softly.

Tenten breathed deeply and looked out the window. It faced the east, and the sun was beginning to ascend in the sky, wreathed in mist.

Neji sensed that she was very close to breaking down-mental abuse was the one thing that she had never been able to stand. What her dream assailant had done was a combination of physical, psychological and sexual abuse- the latter Tenten had never been put through, and Neji hoped that it would never happen again.

Tenten took deep, tearful breaths, trying to control that terrible and achingly familiar hurtful throb in her throat.

Neji acted swiftly, and took Tenten in his arms, rocking and soothing her gently as she cried. They sank to the floor together and Neji looked up at Temari as he stroked the weapons specialist's hair tenderly, lovingly, while her tears fell onto his smooth chest. Temari caught the request in his eyes and silently left the room.

"But I couldn't see his face!" Tenten cried.

"What?"

"I couldn't see his face… I couldn't do anything against him…" Tenten said between sobs.

Once her tears subsided, Tenten's strength was reduced to one of a kitten- one who was in a lot of pain. Neji picked her up and slowly placed her on the bed, stroking back her bangs and long hair, and whispered gentle words in her ear.

Temari appeared in the doorway, and threw something at the Hyuuga prodigy. He caught it without looking, and said thank you, softly. The kunoichi nodded, and went downstairs to make a cup of tea of some sort.

"Here, I'll bandage these up for you." Neji instructed. "Sit up and hold out your hand."

Tenten sat up, her hair spilling around her face, shielding his eyes from her emotions. Nothing however, could stop the overwhelming terror that was being emitted into Tenten's usually bright and optimistic aura. Times when Tenten felt scared or cheerless were as far and few as her name.

Neji hesitated and gently moved the silken strands of hair away from Tenten's face. She looked up and he stroked her cheek gently.

"You don't have to be afraid- it was, as you said, just a dream," Neji said, knowing his words had no true meaning to them- dreams did not injure you, unless it was some form of genjutsu…

"You don't understand, do you?" Tenten laughed hollowly. sending chills down Neji's spine and making the hairs on his arms stand up.

"He told me that we'd meet soon, and I can't help but think that I will see him on our mission today."

"Do you know who he is?"

"If I knew, I'd say, don't you think?" Tenten said sarcastically.

An awkward silence passed between the two.

"Things have changed, haven't they?" Tenten said to no one in particular. "And all because of a stupid nightmare."

"Nothing has changed and don't let something you think is so stupid get to you-nightmares aren't to be as taken literally as something like…" he then trailed off and Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Fate?" Tenten suggested, and then laughed again. "But I feel slightly stupid-I mean, I can't let things like these get to me, I'm a kunoichi-I can not afford to feel emotion. It could be the one thing to kill me!" Tenten said, more to herself than Neji.

"Well, emotions can make you stronger-the desire to protect someone you love can make that much difference to you," Neji said quietly.

"So will you let me bandage these now?" Neji asked, sensing the change in atmosphere. Tenten seemed a lot calmer, more serene, and this soothed his own frazzled nerves.

Tenten wordlessly held out her wrist, and Neji quickly and efficiently tied the bandage over the bruise with an experienced ease.

"These are special bandages-they're Hinata-sama's invention-they've been soaked in her medicine that promotes swift healing," Neji explained, giving something for Tenten to focus on rather than the pain.

"How is she now?" Tenten asked dreamily.

"She's more confident, and it's all for the better. It's thanks to many things, of course-the desire to be seen as an equal, as strong, as a woman, I suppose."

"How is she going with Naruto?"

"Mmm so-so, I guess. I don't like to pry into her relationship."

Tenten laughed gleefully.

"You are such a hypocrite!"

"What?" Neji's eyebrow twitched.

"You are the most overprotective cousin I have ever seen-I remember that one time…" Tenten grinned mischievously.

Neji growled menacingly, and Tenten remembered that this man _was _bandaging her wrists, after all. Maybe bringing up the topic hadn't been such a good idea in the long run.

After bandaging her wrists, Neji turned his attention to her shoulders.

"I have to rub in a salve for this. I'll be back in a moment," he rummaged around in his bag. Tenten looked down. The knots were flawlessly tied, the wrapping was even, and not bulky. It was a bit worrying, in a way, that Neji was getting so good at this.

Neji returned with a plastic jar filled with a pale, cream that smelled slightly spicy. The Hyuuga moved the silky curtain of hair over Tenten's right shoulder, and slowly began to rub the salve into her shoulders in a soothing circular motion, along with a small amount of chakra to help increase the circulation.

"Okay, all done." Neji said after a few moments.

"You're getting better at this every time we have to do it," Tenten smiled, and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you," she whispered.

They both knew that there was a hidden message in those two small insignificant words- thank you for understanding, caring, loving me and, finally, for the bandages and the ointment.

"Okay, who wants what tea…?" Temari trailed off, coming into the room, and seeing Neji and Tenten with their foreheads touching, their lips almost brushing each other's, and intertwined fingers. She began to back out. "Am I interrupting something?"

Tenten looked up.

"No- I was just about to get up anyway. Let's eat breakfast downstairs," she suggested and followed Temari out of the bedroom. Neji got off his knees, and had a shower, allowing the hot water to pound onto his skin and wash away all traces of dreariness from his body. After showering, the Hyuuga prodigy pulled on a white t-shirt, pants and some socks- it was a cold morning.

Tenten could not help but grit her teeth in pain and anger as she furiously scrubbed her nails and hands until they were raw, red and utterly clean. The blood came away after some time, and the kunoichi felt sickened, even more so than when she had to scrub the blood of an enemy off her skin from the battlefield- this was a different kind of fight.

Upon coming downstairs, a wonderful, warm feeling began to permeate the house- breakfast was cooking.

"What are you cooking?" Neji asked, feeling his stomach rumble.

"French toast." Tenten and Temari said simultaneously. Neji noted that the coffee pot had brewed and half eaten cookies lay on the counters behind them beside two pale pink and pale lilac coffee mugs. He smirked and switched on the heater and warmed himself up. It was blissful.

He walked through the kitchen and added the coffee to the mug on the counter that he presumed was for him. It was just the way he liked it, made by Tenten. He sipped at the hot beverage and then sighed. Tenten knew him too well.

Temari began to subconsciously sing as she waited for her meal to cook, and it seemed to stick in Tenten's mind-but she didn't know why.

--------

"Thanks." Neji smirked at her before eating. Tenten's elbow slipped as she reached for her coffee cup and conveniently elbowed Neji in the stomach, causing him to half slide off the leather covered stool.

"That was cold, Tenten," Neji shook his head as he continued to eat the meal that Tenten prepared for him.

"You think so?" Tenten asked sarcastically. Temari snorted and Tenten looked past Neji's head at the kunoichi who had only bothered enough to tie her hair up into a low ponytail this morning to get the curls away from her face.

"What was that for?" Tenten asked.

"Nothing, you guys just have so many problems in your relationship," Temari sighed dramatically.

Neji smirked, rolled his eyes and waited for Tenten to react.

"Oh well," Tenten said placidly. She finished her breakfast and placed everything in the dishwasher and wiped down all the counters.

Then, she leaned on the clean bench top and stared at Temari as she ate while sipping at her coffee.

"Don't stare at me while I eat-I find it annoying." Temari said without looking up.

"Too bad. Didn't you want to start this mission of yours?"

"Planning this unofficial mission is essential," Neji cut in.

"And I have to inform Kankuro that you've accepted," Temari stood and walked over to the dishwasher, which she slid open and stacked her plate inside.

"Do you mean that you came here for us? Why couldn't you get anyone else to?" Tenten asked, feeling an uncomfortable prickling at the back of her scalp.

"Because you two seemed suited for the job. Tenten, you have no idea how ordinary you look, even with your reputation as a Weapons Specialist-and people remember you with the weapons first, your hair second," Temari said frankly.

Tenten scowled.

"Tenten's ability to blend into her surroundings is a necessary skill for a silent and stealthy shinobi," Neji commented, placing his plate in the dishwasher also.

"So why Neji?"

"Because if this guy really is a Hyuuga, we'll need a Hyuuga on our side- one who isn't afraid to fight, and has experience in battle," Temari said.

"If this guy is a Hyuuga-" Tenten sat down on the couch.

"Then I will defeat him," Neji cut off softly.

"That's a bit cocky, don't you think?" Tenten asked.

"There is a reason I am called a prodigy, Tenten," Neji smirked as he sat down.

"So much for modesty," Tenten snorted.

"Well I have inherited the bloodline the strongest in three generations," Neji boasted.

"I do know that, but what if-"

"I have some things in my room," Temari said and she quickly retreated upstairs and into the room she was currently occupying. Tenten and Neji stayed downstairs in the lounge room, sitting by the coffee table and talking quietly, and Temari found the hidden cache in her bag and drew out a thick envelope with all of her documents inside.

She made her way back down into the lower level of the house and emptied the contents of the envelope onto the coffee table.

"This is all the information we've been able to gather about this area, its history, its inhabitants, ninjutsu or genjutsu similar to the ones that the supposed Hyuuga uses on people, witness records and people related to this guy…" Temari's voice faded away as she saw the look on Tenten and Neji's faces.

"This is…" Neji said, staring at the photo.

"That guy," Tenten said a deadly undercurrent in her voice. There was no doubt about it- the same sardonically polite face, royal blue hair that touched his shoulders at spiky angles – much like Sakura's did- and the same bruised coloured eyes stared back at her from the photograph.

"His name is Masaki, and that's all we've been able to glean from our current information."

Tenten opened the very thin file.

"As you can see, even our reconnaissance missions have mostly turned out to be dead ends-these people seem to have no roots and no records of any kind," Temari said.

"There are a lot of blank spaces here," Tenten said, looking at the forms.

There were no indications of special techniques, bloodlines and even his fighting style was not listed.

"So what's the plan?" Neji asked.

Temari handed him and Tenten files with their names marked on them.

Tenten read her itinerary. It was, in a few words, an order to interrogate and then kill a certain man-Masaki.

"Interrogation and assassination?" she asked.

"Reconnaissance?" Neji looked up from the document at Tenten.

"I don't understand…" Tenten said. Her brain seemed to not process the words she was reading.

"The target is not Masaki- the end game is the Hyuuga, or whoever he is."

"Why can't you spy inside the building?" Neji asked, looking at the photos of the new house.

"There seems to be something that blocks our jutsu whenever we try to get past those walls- we could try asking Gaara to use his third eye technique, but he has been very busy with other affairs," Temari sighed as she rearranged the files on the coffee table.

"Blue prints?" Neji asked.

"None can be found anywhere-it seems that our mystery Hyuuga has covered his tracks, and those of his minions, well."

"Does he have a job?" Tenten asked, picking up the Hyuuga file. There was a photo of a man with white eyes and long, dark hair, which was a very familiar trait in the Hyuuga family. There was no distinguishing facial feature; in fact, he could have been someone related to Neji anyway.

"Not that we know of." Temari answered.

"Does anyone leave the property?" Neji asked.

"No," Temari thought that she was being pushed into a box- these two were very in sync, and it seemed like they could read each others minds.

"How did you get these photos?" Neji frowned. Something wasn't right.

"We watched and waited for a very long time. It turned out that this house has a secret tunnel- which is also blocked by a kind of jutsu we don't know. After that discovery, our men were wiped out, with one left alive to deliver a message: 'Stay away from the Hyuuga, or you will face the same fate as these spies.'" Temari quoted as she stared out the window, but was not really seeing anything.

"Wiped out?" Tenten was puzzled.

"Yes, wiped out-as in turned to ash instantly," Temari said.

Tenten was shocked.

"The dots don't connect," Neji said slowly. "Who did the jutsu? How did you get these photos if no one seemed to ever leave the house?"

Temari said nothing.

"If you say nothing, you get nothing," Tenten said carefully, sitting back and not touching more of the documents.

"We have… a spy implanted in the area. So far, they haven't been able to get much information-and we've lost contact over the last few weeks…"

"Is this a rescue mission?" Tenten asked.

"No. this is strictly one to gather information," Temari said, albeit, sounding slightly unsure of herself.

"Who is the spy?" Neji asked.

"My… cousin."

Neji detected the strain in her voice, and the subtle shift in her eyes. She was lying.

"Who is the spy?" Neji asked again.

"My cousin!" Temari protested, her voice rising slightly. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you aren't telling the truth," Tenten said quietly.

"You need to tell us everything from the start." Neji said.

Temari glared and raised her head haughtily. She knew, however, that she was trapped-no one else could really help her with this mission, except for her siblings, but that was not an option.

"Temari," Neji said in a somber voice. "If you need our help, we, as shinobi, cannot unless we are informed of all currently known circumstances."

The silence fell and Tenten and Neji waited. Temari glanced at the clock-time was ticking away slowly, as if everything was underwater.

"My niece, Tetsu, recently took the chuunin exam, and passed- she's my cousin's daughter. We received this mission a few months ago, and she decided to volunteer, saying that nothing could stop her," Temari smiled mistily.

"Anyway, she got a position in the house as a servant of the Hyuuga, and for the first few weeks, everything seemed to be going fine- she'd do her work during the day, and at night time, she would contact us."

"How?" Tenten interrupted.

"She has a strange quirk in her talent. Somehow, she can… send messages through dreams. She has a strong mind and will, but I think something's happened to her."

"Dream messages-how does she send them?" Tenten pressed.

"I don't know, but she comes to me when we are both sleeping, and I wake up and remember everything that was said, and I report it…" Temari trailed off when she realised what she'd revealed.

"It's all too convenient." Tenten said softly.

"You came to us yesterday, and the first night you were here, some guy who seemed to have your niece's 'talent' came and attacked Tenten in her dreams-and you didn't pick up on that, knowing about Tetsu's quirk?" Neji shook his head, reached over and ripped up the files outlining the mission plan and details.

"If you want help on this mission, we do things our way," Tenten said softly.

Temari scowled and nodded. She could ask this of no one else.

"One more question-why didn't you come to Konoha about this?" Tenten asked.

"It's something that's off the record," Temari smiled grimly. "If I do not return with confirmation of mission status within a week, they'll presume that…" Temari let the sentence hang.

"Death, I have found, is nothing to fear," Tenten said gently.

"But it's not me- it's Tetsu!" Temari sighed. She picked up the phone and dialed Kankuro's office phone, putting it on loud speaker.

"Kankuro."

"It's Temari."

Kankuro sighed with evident relief.

"Gaara?" Temari asked.

"Yes."

"Is there anyone else?"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Kankuro asked, getting annoyed.

"Sometimes," Temari smirked.

"Back on task," Gaara said firmly. "Are they there?"

"Yes, we are," Tenten said clearly.

"We have agreed to this mission, but with some conditions-we do this our own way," Neji stated.

"Fine." Gaara said tonelessly.

Neji cracked his knuckles and found a topographic map, street directory page and an aerial photograph of the area.

"Mission commences at 1700 hours tonight," Neji began. "That leaves us with twelve hours preparation. We leave the house, with lights on and Bunshin inside the house, through the tunnel. After leaving the tunnel, we travel upwards about a kilometer to leave the barrier around the house. From there, we split up. Temari-" Neji looked up. "You will go into town and ask around about the target, or anything related with it, as I will be more likely noticed.

"Tenten," Neji looked at her. "You will be disguised, and will ask around on the beach area, in any way that you like. It'll be sunset and it'll start to cool down from the heat in the day. I will go further up the ridge and observe the building from the forest on the bay mouth, here. I want everyone back by 2000 hours tonight- two hours should be more than enough time," Neji concluded.

"I think… I might stay out tonight, if things… get interesting," Temari smiled slyly.

"We didn't need to know that," said four voices unanimously.

Temari shrugged.

"Meh," she smiled nonchalantly.

"That's not even a word," Tenten sighed.

"Okay- so that's your mission plan?" Kankuro asked.

"Affirmative," Neji said.

"Inform us of your results as soon as possible," Gaara said, and the line went dead.

--------

Tenten spent the rest of her day swimming laps in the pool. Temari lazed around the house, reading magazines, and Neji meditated and counted the various birds that glided on the ocean breeze. At three thirty, Tenten bathed and washed her hair and prepared her bag. The pain in her wrists had faded, as had the bruises, but flared up once more when strained too much.

"Leave it- don't push yourself too much," Neji said softly, coming to stand behind her at the mirror. He wrapped his arms around her bared waist and rested his head on her smooth shoulder and kissed the nape of her neck softly.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tenten sighed.

"If you need anything, just say my name and I'll come to find you immediately," Neji murmured into her neck, sending tingles down her spine.

"Same goes for you, too," Tenten teased.

Neji looked at the clock.

"It's almost time to start." Tenten whispered. Neji nodded and Tenten pulled her hair into a bun, securing it swiftly with a pair of black hair chopsticks, each depicting a silver and red dragon twining up both hair ornaments. On the smaller edge, there was a small twisting catch that allowed it to be opened, letting four senbon slide innocuously into the user's hand as she went to 'adjust' her hair.

"Bunshin no jutsu!" Neji said softly. A clone of himself appeared beside him and they nodded at each other. The real one changed into dark clothing, as Tenten's clone put on her normal clothes and Tenten pulled on some black clothes, while checking that her other clothes were in a back pack.

Fifteen minutes later, the trio stood on the rocky outcropping, looking out over the ocean.

Tenten changed into her pale jogging outfit and Temari changed into a white tank top and a pair of black shorts.

"I'll change later," she shrugged and Tenten began to rummage around in her pack as Neji said, "There are men to the east-avoid being seen together." With those words, Temari turned and disappeared.

"Wait, Tenten," Neji said suddenly. Tenten turned around, and Neji kissed her passionately and arduously, leaving them both breathless.

"What was that for?" Tenten demanded. "We're on a mission!"

Neji cupped the right side of her face and kissed her left earlobe. "For luck," he whispered huskily before disappearing.

The weapons expert quickly slipped on her weapon holsters over her skin and covered them up with her outfit and flitted upwards into the trees. She found the sunglasses Temari had given her-she'd said that they'd capture video and photos, and all she had to remember was that right was for video footage, left was for photos- and all data collected would be transmitted to their headquarters in Suna.

A few minutes passed, and Tenten suddenly felt another presence beside her. A malicious intent overwhelmed her senses and she increased her speed without breaking a sweat. The rate at which she was currently running (or jumping) could not rival Lee's without weights on, but she could run abreast with the Hyuuga prodigy in the 100 laps around Konoha- a task they could finish in a time of around three hours.

Suddenly, she was out of the thick foliage, and she could see the long shadows the sun had cast upon the smooth earth. The kunoichi jumped to the ground and suddenly felt that same malevolent spirit that her body remembered with fear, so clearly. Noiselessly, Tenten turned around to face the same man who had visited her in her dreams last night.

Piercing blue eyes clashed against her mahogany eyes, and she flinched despite herself.

Tenten was speechless. Nevertheless, she settled into a defensive stance and glared up at him, the sun at her back.

"Didn't I tell you that we'd meet soon?" he asked pleasantly. "I had thought that you'd anticipated our meeting-why do you act so… hostile?"

Tenten remained silent. It wasn't that she had nothing to say; it would just be better to not reveal anything about herself that he did not know already.

"That's it," he nodded knowingly as he jumped down. "Always the practical one, weren't you? Neji was the cold one, with the ice block of a heart that only you could melt, and Lee was the annoying little-brother-like figure who idolized the strangest and most unique man in all of Konoha."

Tenten did not move a muscle, nor reveal her shock or surprise. This man was dangerous. Very dangerous. He knew more about her than anyone else knew about him.

"If you came here to find information, why don't you ask me?" he asked, sitting down leisurely on the branch as if he had all the time in the world.

"Still not willing to say anything?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Would you rather fight me instead, capture and then torture me slowly?"

Tenten flicked her wrist.

"That's a pretty bangle you got there on your wrist…" the stranger commented, as if he hadn't come to assault her in her dreams previously. "It's not really the thing to be wearing when you're going jogging."

Tenten slipped the bangle off her wrist and held it behind her back, making it seem like she was tucking it away. She smoothly separated the gold and sapphire with a twist of the jeweled item and poured her will into it.

The man watched, amused. The kunoichi had procured a pair of katanas, one seemingly made of a blazing, white metal and the other of some sparkling blue stone that seemed far from fragile.

"Those are very interesting weapons you have there. Don't you normally use scrolls?" he asked.

Tenten did not reply. She jumped into the air, feeling the sun on her back, and hurled the weapons in her hands in the man's direction.

The stranger was confused-hadn't she just been holding a pair of katana? How did they become shuriken? It must have been a trick of some sort, he decided calmly as he felt his lifeblood ebb away. This meeting had been highly informative. He knew one other thing now- this kunoichi would be useful to him in many ways. He would get her to do his bidding and he knew how to get her to do it even without asking her.

**E2: … once again, lots got cut out. I really don't like how it ended, but meh. **


	4. I Love You

**E2: Slight alterations… mm… the plot starts changing more from here on, so if the story doesn't make sense, don't read it unless it has a tag at the top like this. Lol. I still think it's tacky. **

**Chapter Four: I Love You**

Tenten watched the man hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood staining his clothes with an alarming ease. She was puzzled- he hadn't even put in the effort to try and stop or dodge the weapons- but then again, that was something Kankuro would pick up on as he watched the footage.

The weapons specialist heard a noise. She looked at her enemy, lying in the shadows of the trees and felt her eyes sting slightly as her glasses refocused to show what she wanted to see. The man was taking a pill.

Tenten drew her weapons out of the man's flesh and, taking a deep breath, plunged them in once more, even though she was standing a few meters away. The stranger coughed up more blood, and the life left his body in a thick gurgle, a twisted smile upon his face as his fingers twitched, shaped like a claw.

The weapons expert retrieved her weapons from where she stood, wiped them clean on the grass, and walked silently over towards the body. His features were slack and lifeless, but his eyes, even in death, still retained their evil glint. A moment later, a bright flash burned Tenten's eyes through her glasses, and she staggered backwards. She cursed loudly and wrenched off the gadget, rubbing her eyes. Tenten sighed and opened her eyes slowly, still staring into the cool, cold shadows. They seemed soothing.

"Tenten? We can't see anything, just like you," Kankuro said.

"Sorry. The flash bomb was still a shock to me." Kankuro breathed in sharply. "What is it?" the weapons expert asked.

"The body is gone."

"What?" Tenten looked and, sure enough, her enemy was not lying on the ground; not a trace of blood or bent grass to mark his fall or death.

The kunoichi brushed a few strands of hair away from her face with her right hand, stopping the transmission of video streaming.

"Was it necessary to kill him?" Kankuro asked in her ear.

"I have a feeling… he's not dead. He can't be. People like him never die easily- it takes many, many battles, even if you don't get kill yourself first," Tenten said, starting to jog again and ignoring a tingling feeling in her spine.

Kankuro shrugged. "Proceed with mission as planned."

The kunoichi found comfort in the steady motion of her feet pounding against the ground. She found that her heart was beating faster than it normally would while running- and Tenten knew why. She couldn't shake off the feeling that this man had not died.

Something hit her. The scratch marks on his face had not been present- the wounds he had afflicted upon her still remained, so it only made sense that the wounds she had caused him, by rights, should still be there. But they weren't. Tenten was beginning to stress- and when she stressed, she had a tendency to lose her temper very easily.

The kunoichi crashed into something, and fell backwards.

"So much for reflexes," Tenten groaned to herself. She suddenly realized that there was a man around her age lying on top of her. He was dressed casually in jeans, a blue shirt and a black wool blend coat that fell down to his knees. His blonde hair seemed to shine like platinum, with the sun behind him, and his green eyes sparkled good-naturedly.

Tenten blushed. The stranger quickly scrambled up but tripped on a stick he had originally tripped on and fell onto the young woman again.

"I'm so sorry!" he stuttered, mortified to no end as he stood, this time placing his feet firmly on the ground. Tenten stood and rubbed the back of her pants, her face still red, looking determinedly on the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said again as Tenten said, "It was my fault."

"It's okay," they said in perfect, unrehearsed unison, and laughed, the awkwardness leaving them.

"Um," Tenten felt the awkwardness creep back into the atmosphere.

"I'm Hideaki Hiroshi," The young man bowed as he introduced himself.

"I'm Miyako," Tenten smiled.

She rubbed the back of her head.

Hiroshi caught sight of the bandage around her wrist and he frowned, but remained silent.

"So… what brings you here today?" Hiroshi asked.

"Oh- I'm heading towards the town, for a night out- I'm new, so I wanted to just get used to the area," Tenten smiled.

"Ah… I see," Hiroshi nodded, not noticing Tenten's pointed look.

"Um, yeah- I'd better get going," Tenten smiled and shook her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll see you around sometime then, Hiroshi."

Tenten began to walk slowly once again. She almost smiled when she heard Hiroshi call her name.

"Miyako!" Hiroshi sighed. "I don't usually do this, but would you like to go out and get some coffee with me?"

Tenten laughed. "You don't normally do what- ask out a girl or ask out a girl you've just fallen on?"

Hiroshi laughed nervously.

"When were you thinking about?" Tenten asked abruptly, throwing the young man off.

"Is tomorrow night okay with you?" he asked.

"Go for it!" Temari yelled in her ear. "He's cute, and nice and you know, this could be a great opportunity to gather some information… he could become a permanent source!"

Tenten shook her head.

"I think I'm doing something tomorrow night…" Tenten rubbed her forehead. It felt a bit naked without her forehead protector there. She noticed the sting of rejection in his eyes, and quickly added, "But I'm not doing anything tonight, so how about it?"

"Tonight? Seriously?"

"Yeah, well, my roommate tells me that I need to get out more… she's _extremely annoying_," Tenten said, more for Temari's sake than Hiroshi's.

"I hope this… meeting won't get you caught by someone in the village," Neji said softly in her ear.

"You're just jealous, aren't you? Don't worry- you can trust her, she's not someone like…" Temari trailed off.

"Yourself?" Neji suggested, and Tenten smiled when she heard Temari's dry, sardonic laugh.

"Miyako?" Hiroshi was a bit worried. This young woman seemed perfectly fine, it was just that she seemed to space out quite a bit and smile to herself.

"Yes? I'm sorry, I was just wondering if I left something at home…" Tenten smiled.

"Well, do you have it here?"

Tenten drew the keys from her pocket, and jangled them, smiling.

"Yes."

They were silent for a few moments, and the all too and unfortunately familiar awkwardness began to settle between the pair.

"I see… so do you want to get going, then?"

"I guess so," Tenten couldn't help but notice that fact that it was extremely uncomfortable between them- not the smooth ease in which she and Neji got along in, even in silence.

"Whereabouts are you staying?" Hiroshi asked as they walked.

"I'm staying in town- I've only been here for a few days, so I'm trying to get my head around things," Tenten quickly improvised. "Do you live around here?" the kunoichi quickly shifted the topic off her.

"Well," Hiroshi bit his lip. "I moved in a few months ago- I'm living on an island."

"An island?" Tenten wasn't sure if she had heard correctly.

"Yes- I live on Lion Island, out to the east from here."

"Is there anyone else living on Lion Island?"

"Not really, unless you count a few servants- I own it, you see," Hiroshi shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh okay, then. That's interesting," Tenten smiled as she did a quick mental calculation. Hiroshi had moved in a few months ago, and he lived on an island out on the water to the east- it was a possibility that he was linked to the supposed Hyuuga who, after all, did live in the house near the bay mouth which was east from where they currently were.

"You are quite a mystery to me, Miyako," Hiroshi smiled at her, and Tenten, puzzled, tentatively returned it.

--------

The walls were a dark reddish burgundy colour, the carpet was scarlet, and the furniture in the room was dominantly made of mahogany wood- even the kickboard and trimming of the swirled wallpaper was of the same timber. The lights were not bright and not dim- it was supposedly 'romantic', the kunoichi thought as she took in her surroundings. There were only a few patronages so far in the coffee shop- a man in a black trench coat hunched over a dark mug of a curiously bubbling liquid (it reminded Tenten of the Curry of Life); a woman with long blue locks and a bubblegum pink streak that was plaited into hair that had once been a part of her fringe that had grown out and, extraordinarily enough, a shinobi from the Wave Country. Tenten quickly looked in the other direction, then remembered that she was not wearing her forehead protector, and relaxed slightly.

The pair sat down in a booth and ordered their drinks- Tenten ordered jasmine tea (coffee wasn't something she liked to drink if she hadn't made it herself) and Hiroshi ordered a strong black coffee.

"So," Tenten began. "Tell me something about you that no one else knows about you."

"That's a strange question." Hiroshi said, fiddling with a napkin as they waited for their drinks to arrive.

Tenten smiled.

"But… let's see. Something about me that no one else knows," Hiroshi mused for a while, watching the woman he knew as Miyako as he thought. She had braided her gleaming chestnut hair and wore an amber pendant around her neck which was contrasted by the bracelet she wore around her wrist. He could tell it meant a lot to her- she constantly fingered the accessory absentmindedly and her eyes clouded for a few moments, like she was thinking about something- or someone.

"I …" Hiroshi began.

"Sir," a waiter placed their drinks on the table and tapped Hiroshi on the shoulder. "You have a phone call." The man motioned towards the phone, located a few meters away in a shadowy corner.

"Excuse me," Hiroshi stood and walked over to take his call.

Tenten toyed with her bangle as she stared at something in the far distance that only she could see. She heard someone sit on the seat beside her and she looked up, expecting to see her companion.

All she could see was a pair of blue eyes gleaming from the depths of a black hood.

"Listen to me," he said, grabbing Tenten's bruised wrists. She winced, and glared at him. "Make a noise and this knife is going into your stomach." Tenten felt the blade through the cloth of her shirt and jacket and nodded.

"I'm here to deliver a message. Hyuuga Hiashi is dead. His will has been found, and your precious Neji will leave you for the woman he has to marry- and he will grow to love her, in a way that he never loved you."

Tenten froze.

"I don't believe you," she said, her voice as icy as a bitter arctic wind.

"See for yourself- go and run home to him, and he will tell you and watch as diamond tears run down your face…" the man sneered as Tenten's eyes gleamed with an angry fire. The kunoichi picked up her cup of jasmine tea from the table and held it to her lips. In a swift, fluid motion, she flung it into the man's eyes and flicked her hair, the chopsticks flying into her hand. She wrenched her wrist out of his grasp and stabbed the man in the chest with the poisoned senbon, and ran out of the store, ignoring the shouts of the people in the bar and the angry and scared tears that were streaming down her face as she jumped on the building rooftops.

--------

Tenten pounded frantically on the front door, and it opened in mid-knock. The kunoichi fell, face forward, onto Neji's chest.

"Hi!" Tenten beamed, hoping that the tears she had recently cried were not discovered. She reached up and brought Neji's face down to her own and kissed him gently.

"Did you-" Neji was interrupted by a ringing phone.

Tenten felt a chill of premonition and the slight sheen of sweat on her skin turned to ice and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"Yes, Hinata-sama - I understand, Hinata-sama," Neji said emotionlessly. He placed the phone back into its cradle and Tenten shivered.

"What's happening?" Tenten asked, feeling that her voice was too high pitched to be normal.

"Hiashi-sama has died."

At these words, Tenten's senses began to shut down.

"I am required to leave for Konoha as soon as possible."

The words echoed in Tenten's non-responsive mind.

"To meet my future wife."

Tenten was in shock.

"Your future… wife?" she echoed.

"Yes."

"How can you be so calm?" Tenten asked in a curiously detached voice.

"Because it was my fate."

"Your… fate?" Tenten echoed once more.

"Yes."

A heavy silence settled and Tenten's heart began to pound.

"Did you know?" Tenten asked softly.

"Know what?"

"Did you know that this day would come?"

"I had hoped not."

The kunoichi began to feel an unfamiliar ache in her throat, and her tongue turned to lead.

"Was this all just… nothing to you? If you knew that this would happen, why did you… put me through this?" the kunoichi could barely string together words to form proper sentences in her current state.

"I love you. I will always feel the same about you, and nothing will ever change that."

"Not even marrying a stranger? Not even having children? Not even…" Tenten's voice broke- and Neji's heart along with it. He felt helpless.

"Tenten, I-" he took Tenten's small slim frame into his arms, but she stood as stiff and rigid as a board against his body.

"Can't you fight… fate?" Tenten's vision began to blur as the ache in her throat increased.

"Not this time, Tenten."

"Why not?" Tears spilled over and Tenten began to cry.

"They'll kill me."

"Won't you fight for me?"

"Tenten, look at me." Neji's voice was raw and emotional. He slid his finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at his. They stared into each other's eyes. Tenten's deep amber eyes were made even more beautiful in a sad way because of the diamond tears that graced her cheeks. Neji's eyes were a stormy silvery lilac, stripped of its emotionless mask, and Tenten could not read the tumult of emotions within its fathomless depths.

The kunoichi could not help but tremble slightly as Neji wiped away her tears with his thumb. She sensed his intention to kiss her and succumbed to it, feeling the same electric tingle run through her body every time he touched her, the delightfully secure warmth that his body seemed to lend hers, the passion that swept over her senses- and for a split second, everything seemed perfect in the world once more, but she knew it wasn't. She could not ignore the tears on her cheeks that were mingling with the ones she had cried.

--------

Later that night, Tenten woke up and left Neji's arms. It had been a bittersweet farewell, but the kunoichi knew she had to leave. She quickly dressed and slipped on her bangle and arm bands. Before leaving the room, she walked silently over to Neji and gently kissed the teal cross on his forehead and lips.

"I love you Hyuuga Neji," she whispered- in the same manner that Neji had before she'd fallen asleep within the curve of his body. At the time, she'd wondered why his words had sounded so much like goodbye, but now, she understood- it was too painful to say anything else.

She left the room with nothing else and shut the door silently behind her. Tenten glanced at the clock in the hallway- it was 2 in the morning- and quickly walked down the beautiful staircase and the lights clicked on in the foyer, the chandelier casting rainbows on the cream coloured walls.

"Going somewhere?" Temari asked, leaning in the archway that led to the kitchen and living room.

Tenten turned around. Temari was still dressed in the clothes she had gone out in, which consisted of an extremely short, ruffled skirt with a pink, white and yellow print on it, a white low cut singlet top with beading details along the top, a wide pale pink fabric belt that was tied in a neat bow that rested on her hip and golden shoes. Her hair was unbound and fell, in soft waves, down to her hips, like golden silk.

"I'm leaving," Tenten avoided the other kunoichi's gaze.

"Why?"

"Neji is getting married."

Temari's eyes narrowed, like a cat's.

"And you're going to let him go without a fight?"

"You can't fight fate, Temari."

Temari shivered at the haunted tone in the weapon expert's voice.

"And the entire Hyuuga clan," Tenten added with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Right," Temari rolled her eyes.

"Don't try and stop me from leaving," Tenten said, her eyes flashing.

"I'm not. I'm leaving right now, tonight."

"Well… I guess this is good bye, for now…" Tenten gave a sad smile. Goodbyes were always painful.

Temari nodded and Tenten jumped over the banister and left the house without a backwards glance, her destination unknown.


	5. Split Screen Sadness

**E2: Well, this is the first plot alteration yay! Hiroshi is completely different… Emi slightly altered, but they both essentially play the same role.**

**-------- Tenten/Miyako**

**----x---- Neji**

**This one came faster than I had thought- which is a good thing, for everyone.**

**Split Screen Sadness is actually a song by John Mayer. The name kind of struck me out of nowhere, so it's here, now.**

**Read, review- and, as always- enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: Split Screen Sadness**

Tenten kicked off her shoes and revelled in the feeling of having sand between her toes. Some people hate it and some people love it- and she was one of the people who loved it. The beach always reminded her of the very few family vacations that everyone in her family was able to attend (mainly her father and mother- she had no siblings or known cousins), or summer, or just generally happy times. But then, the dark rain cloud also known as her heart began to flutter and Tenten fell to the ground, her tears falling and disappearing into the swelling, then receding tide.

She ripped off her bangle and threw it to the ocean, in an attempt to take away all meaning of Neji from her, and it whistled eerily and forlornly before falling into the sea.

Having done that, Tenten felt weak and irresolute. Here she was, dressed in a thin, short sleeved tee-shirt that was orange no less, and throwing a priceless and sentimental gift into the ocean. It was a pathetic post-break-up image; she had to chide herself mentally. What was she thinking? There was only one word she could think of- Neji.

The kunoichi felt tired- so tired, like she had not slept in ages. Staying awake became increasingly hard, and she gave in to the sensation, allowing a dark blanket of calm to cover her senses as she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

----x----

Neji sat up and glanced at the empty, cold bed beside him. Tenten had gone, and left him feeling fragile and shattered- not that he'd ever admit it to anyone.

Why had he put her through this? Neji asked himself as he mechanically completed basic tasks such as making the bed and washing his face. The answer was simply that he had loved and hoped- he had loved Tenten and had hoped that it would be enough to stop Hiashi. Unfortunately, his uncle had obviously thought otherwise.

Nothing could shake the feeling of emptiness in the house. A quick inspection told him that Temari had also left in the night- but that wasn't really a major concern right now. The sound of the waves echoed and bounced off the smooth surfaces in the house eerily, along with the sound of his soft footfalls. It was chilling.

The worst thing of all, however, was the fact that his mind continued to betray him- he'd expect to see Tenten come out of the bathroom with her hair and smooth pale skin even softer, damp and fragrant from washing or downstairs in the kitchen, eating fruit or drinking her coffee as she left him a cup on the bench beside her, prepared just the way he liked it, gossiping with Temari.

The Hyuuga didn't want to think about it. He packed his things hastily and stopped when his fingertips brushed against a smooth, sheer fabric. Neji looked down and saw the beautiful sapphire dress, unstained and perfectly whole in every way. Without knowing why, he gently folded the garment and placed it under his clothes before snapping the case shut.

----x----

A few hours later, the Hyuuga prodigy was at the doors of the study that had once belonged to the late Hyuuga Hiashi- his uncle, and Hinata's father. He pushed the sturdy oak doors forward and bowed to the new ruler of the Hyuuga clan- Hinata. The kunoichi agitatedly waved, making an exasperated sound. Neji shut the doors and waited.

"You know what this is about, don't you?" Hinata asked, pacing stressfully as she waved a document in her right hand.

"If that is Hiashi-sama's will, then yes," Neji replied blandly.

"The Elders will have all of my father's wishes fulfilled- there is nothing we can do but follow them- especially me and you, Neji." Hinata stopped pacing and looked Neji in the eyes. "You have inherited the most power of the Byakugan, and the leader of the Branch family." She did not disguise her distaste of the word- not because of the people, but because the fact that her family was divided. It was one of the things that she hoped to abolish, with the help of Naruto and Neji.

"Okay, down to business," Hinata said, suddenly business-like. Neji noticed the sudden change in her demeanour and almost smiled- Hinata was a born diplomat, entrepreneur and healer, and she knew it.

"This goes to you," Hinata unlocked the safe in the wall with a beautiful golden key that hung on a golden chain around her neck, hidden by her clothing. She handed Neji a thick white envelope that had his name inscribed upon it, in his uncle's writing.

Neji ignored the sudden painful thudding that was blossoming in his chest.

"There are more specific details about your… arrangement in there."

Neji noted that his cousin did not use the word 'marriage'. The tension rose up a few notches in the room. The Hyuuga slid the envelope off the sturdy, antique, mahogany desk and ripped the envelope open on the side.

--------

The woman woke up and sat up in a white eiderdown quilted bed. The sun was streaming through an eastern window, looking out to the sea. In fact, there were many windows looking out to the sea- she could see that she was currently surrounded by it.

She ran her hands through her hair. For a moment, her fingers grabbed at air- as if they were used to having to untangle long messed locks when waking up. It felt wrong somehow.

She looked at her hands. They were strangely smooth and soft, the nails perfectly shaped and manicured. Her eyes glanced down at her wrists. Her brain projected some ugly bruises onto the skin, but there was no pain there- no markings, no scars.

Yet somehow, she felt that there was some essential part of her life missing.

"Miyako-sama…" a young servant bowed at her. "Hiroshi-sama is waiting- you've slept in far too long today." She nervously motioned for some other servants to come in.

The young woman tucked her knees under her chin, drawing up the white sheets. Who were they? Or, more importantly, who was she?

"I… I demand to see this Hiroshi-sama," She cried, and the servants quailed at her sudden confidence, demand and authority.

"Miya? I'm here," A pleasant voice said, coming into the room. A young man with sandy blonde hair and green eyes entered, and gently kissed her on the cheek. Miyako blushed, somehow feeling very comfortable in his presence.

"Come back later," The man said to the servants who obeyed him without objection.

"Miya," the man said calmly, stroking her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Her lips curved upwards in a genuine smile.

"Nothing, Hiro." The paranoia she'd felt when waking was gone, and she felt at ease.

Hiroshi kissed her on the lips and drew away, drawing back the pale, gauzy curtains. Miyako followed him and glanced out the window, sighing at the breathtaking view.

"How did you sleep?" Hiroshi asked after a moment.

"Fine," Miyako replied. She turned to her wardrobe and picked out a green and white cotton floral print dress to wear, tying the dark green sash into a bow behind her. "How about you?"

"Fine," Hiroshi replied with a smile. He picked up a comb from the dresser and combed her hair. Miyako smiled and turned, gently prying the shell comb from his fingers.

"You're doing it wrong," she teased. Sitting at the dresser, she looked at her reflection. A young woman around 21 stared back at her, with amber eyes, sharp lines for a nose and mouth and horrendously short brown hair. She ran the comb quickly through her locks and admired the subtle highlights that told of sun and sea. Her fingers, however, twitched when she combed slightly at the air, as if expecting longer, silkier tresses.

"Come on down to breakfast," Hiroshi suggested, tugging at her hand. Smiling, Miyako followed him, oblivious to the stares of the servants. There were four girls- a red head, one with silvery locks, another with a green plait and the last, with short black hair.

Miyako waved at them as she walked past and they bowed their heads, curtseying.

The pair sat down to breakfast on the deck- fruit was served with yogurt and muesli.

"So, I was thinking that today, after breakfast, you continued with some of those studies…" Hiroshi began.

"Mm… What was I up to again?"

"Well, you were learning about the Hideaki lineage, I think," Hiroshi said. "And my sisters were helping you learn…"

"Oh," Miyako said, suddenly remembering. "I remember now- something about control over the subconscious, right?"

Hiroshi nodded, obviously pleased. Miyako smiled, and a butler came and took away their dishes.

"Listen, Miya," Hiroshi said. "This morning, when you woke up… I heard you- you sounded very distraught. Are you sure you're okay now?"

Miyako nodded. "I'm perfectly fine- I was still half asleep, I guess."

Hiroshi nodded, standing. He kissed her briefly, before walking away.

"Hey, Hiro," Miyako ran after him. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm having a meeting with my business associates, so I'll be going to the mainland."

"Oh… can I come, one day?"

Hiroshi smiled. "Sure," she looped her arm with his and they walked through the house. "Do you want to walk me down to the docks?"

Miyako leaned into his shoulder. "I would love to," she walked peacefully beside him, her steps purposeful, silent and graceful.

"So what are you discussing at your meeting?" Miyako asked. "I've always wondered what you did."

Hiroshi smiled. "You've always been very curious," he sighed mockingly, as if she was a great burden upon him. "But, I am your typical businessman- and I deal with very boring things- nothing for a young woman like you to hear- you'd fall asleep in an instant."

Miyako laughed. "Try me," she said playfully.

"Well, I deal with the commerce and economical affairs of the string of villages along this coastline, and manage trade and communications."

"So how long does it take you to get to work everyday?"

"About half an hour- but I don't mind, because the sea air is very good for your health, or so I've heard."

Miyako laughed again.

"I like your laugh," he whispered, and she sighed dreamily in response. They arrived at the dock, and they stopped walking. Hiroshi turned around, and gently placed his arms on her shoulders, leaning in to kiss her.

"Have a good day," she whispered when he broke away.

"I will," Hiroshi replied with a smile, walking away. "I love you, Miya." He waved as he boarded the boat, and it sped away.

Frowning, Miyako placed a hand to her lips. He had just told her that he loved her- and she hadn't been able to say anything back.

----x----

Neji glared at the letter. It was incredibly ironic. Had he been someone else, for example, someone like Hanabi, he would have wanted to know what possessions, property or funds would go to him (Hanabi was very materialistic, from what he knew of her) however, being himself, he had expected something similar to a command or 'request' – mildly put.

"Neji? Neji-nii-san?" Hinata called.

Neji looked up, and it took all of the restraint Hinata had learned to not flinch at the murderous intent in his eyes.

"I am leaving now. It is time," he said curtly and pushed the chair back. Throwing the letter onto the table, he stood and swept out of the room, a dark aura pulsing from him- an even darker aura than normal, Hinata noted. She sighed and deeply sympathised with him. What her father had done seemed wrong to do- even to her- especially since he had often noted that Neji seemed a lot better off when he was with Tenten.

For one thing, he had moved out- meaning the servants were less stressed, without having to deal with Neji's temper on bad days, and the fan girls had instantly vanished. On the whole, though, Tenten brightened up Neji's life- he was the night, as she was the day, and they loved each other deeply. Hinata had wished that this whole thing hadn't happened on Neji and Tenten's first anniversary. He had loved her enough to spend all of their lifetimes together, Hinata knew, and he still did. But, unfortunately, there was nothing anyone could do about their separation in this life.

Neji passed no one on the way to the place where he was to meet his future wife- that, or everyone was avoiding him, which seemed closer to the truth than just coincidence that he saw no one. Back to the original topic- the reason he was still in the building- the first meeting of his future wife.

The girl he was supposed to marry was Takumi Emi. She was only seventeen- three years younger than himself, and a part of a clan was famous, mainly because they were a family of artisans and they had all scattered far and wide across the globe, becoming artists, actors, dancers, musicians, authors, playwrights and architects. She was supposedly, according to Hiashi's sources, the perfect housewife. But he sulked mentally (only it wasn't called sulking in Neji's language); a perfect housewife wasn't what he wanted or needed. He needed someone he could spend the rest of his life with, someone who knew truly him inside and out, and someone who loved him, and was loved by him. And there was only one woman in the entire world that fitted all the criteria perfectly.

Unfortunately, fate had dealt him an incredibly soul shattering blow that he would hate himself for the rest of his life. Why had he brought Tenten into this? The question echoed in his mind as he stopped walking- he was at the designated meeting place.

Neji slid the doors open and looked down at the young woman kneeling on the floor in front of him. She was wearing a black veil over her clothing, but Neji could only feign interest for so long.

"Get up."

"As you command, Hyuuga-sama."

Neji's eye twitched as the young girl rose from the ground.

"Do not address me in that manner- to you, I am Neji."

"As you command, N-Neji."

A young servant kneeled on the ground in the corner, her face veiled. She wore a yellow kimono with an embroidered hem.

"Emi," Neji said, raising an eyebrow. "Don't seek to fool me. There is a reason why I have a bloodline limit." He activated that talent and the girl veiled in black fell to his feet once more. In contrast, the young woman in the corner rose and took off her veil.

"Interesting," she said, looking him directly in the eye. Neji shrugged.

"I try," he said sarcastically, before leaving the room.

"Wait!" Emi cried.

Neji turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't this meant to be a meeting of some sort?"

"I met you, great. We're going to be married, there. Is that enough?"

"No," Emi said defiantly, glaring at him with hazel eyes. The light caught the highlights in her lustrous, waist length, sandy blonde hair and made her pale, unblemished skin glimmer. He could tell that in a few years, when her face lost all childish qualities and became sharper, older, she would have been attracting suitors from far and wide. She would have earned quite a large dowry. Well, her clan, anyway.

"Well I'm leaving anyway," Neji turned, unaffected by the sudden beauty he could see emerging in the woman.

"What? Why? Where to?" Emi rushed after the prodigy's retreating back, ignoring her crying servant.

Neji stopped walking.

"The least you could do," he said coldly, without turning. "Is help that poor girl up. She did only what you wanted her to, and you ignore her without thanking her."

The people in the vicinity of the Hyuuga were shocked. Neji was not normally so… warm towards other human beings.

Without another word, Neji continued to walk out of the building, taking a few short cuts to throw off his… fiancée. He knew it was childish, but he felt he needed air- quickly- along with some sake or anything severely burning and alcoholic.

Once out of the twists and turns of the compound, Neji walked quickly through the training courtyard at the front of the mansion, went out past the posted guards, and made his way towards the nearest bar where he could go and drown himself in some alcohol and perhaps die of liver failure. One could only hope, unfortunately.

----x----

Emi was directed out of the maze by a passing Branch member, her distressed servant staying behind to unpack her belongings. Her room was near Neji's, with her servant's room in between, with adjoining doors to Emi's living quarters.

Emi looked around on the street. There was no one there, and Emi was considering where to go next, when something collided with her leg.

She looked down. A dark haired girl with blue eyes stared defiantly back up at her, with four ponytails in her hair, sticking out at strange angles. She looked around the age of six.

There were other children playing with her, apparently around her age, also- a blonde boy with white eyes, with a foxy grin on his face and a second girl with jet black hair that was short and spiky, with a strangely hued pair of jade green eyes that were clear, but also mysteriously unknowable.

"Hey!" yelled the first girl she had tripped over. "Watch where you're going!"

"Hey!" Emi mimicked. "That's my line!"

She looked at the small boy with the white eyes- eyes of a Hyuuga.

"I'm looking for someone you might know," Emi said.

The boy snickered in response and grinned slyly.

"Who is it- your boyfriend?" he sneered.

Emi rolled her eyes.

"The reason I am asking _you_, my little Hyuuga, is because he is most likely a relative that you know."

The child nodded, with pride evident on his face.

"I'm looking for Hyuuga Neji- have any of you heard of him?"

The three laughed loudly.

"Hyuuga Neji? You're asking us if we know _Hyuuga Neji_? He's like an uncle to all of us!" the blue eyed girl said.

"Well, he actually _is _my uncle," muttered the young Hyuuga.

"Anyway, he's our 'uncle'- although we think he's downright stupid to be all depressed about getting ma-" the young girl who had collided with Emi's leg was silenced by her other female companion.

Emi noticed the red and white fan insignia on her sleeve- she was an Uchiha, most likely Sasuke's.

Suddenly, it clicked- these children were all around the same age- most probably like their parents- which explained how they knew each other.

An Uchiha, a Hyuuga and a… Nara, perhaps?

"He probably went to that bar, over there," said the young Uchiha, pointing.

"Thanks," Emi sighed. "Before I forget, what are your names?"

"Uzumaki Daiki." Emi tried to hide her surprise.

"Uchiha Chikako," said the small girl quietly, her green eyes sparkling.

"I'm Nara Oki," introduced the young girl who had crashed into her leg.

Emi smiled at them.

"I'm Takumi Emi- it's nice to meet you three- see you later, then!" Emi turned around and walked away. She turned to wave, but they were gone- the street was absolutely deserted. Emi frowned, and entered the bar, even though she was underage. No one would be the wiser.

It was incredibly dark inside the room. There was no one else there.

"Fancy seeing you here," said a low, masculine voice.

Emi started and turned, her eyes falling upon Neji who was sitting on a bar stool.

"I had help," she said shortly, helping herself to a seat beside him. Neji frowned and sipped at the sake.

"From who?" Neji asked mildly.

"Three highly inquisitive children- an Uzumaki, a Hyuuga and a Nara."

Neji stared at her. "That's impossible."

"How!" Emi demanded.

"Sakura and Sasuke got married three months ago. They have not had a child as far as I know. Hinata and Naruto are engaged- they would not dare have a child out of wedlock. The Council of Elders would probably disown her if she did, but they are getting married in a few months. Hiashi-sama obviously approved of their relationship," he added bitterly and Emi was hurt deeply, but remembered that he was slightly drunk already. "Ino and Shikamaru have only been married for around a month, so I don't see either of these children actually existing right now outside your mind."

Emi was shocked.

"I still don't understand," she mumbled.

"There's no way any of these children that you describe exist. That's all there is to it," Neji said sharply and Emi flinched.

"The least you could do is be nice to me- we are going to be married, after all," she whined.

Neji glared at her.

"The least I could do is not kill you," he said coldly. Tenten was never this annoying- she knew her boundaries since the first time she had met him.

"Who's Tenten?" Emi asked, curious.

Neji groaned. He had said that, hadn't he?

"Yes, you did."

"Tenten is… none of your business," Neji said firmly, finishing his second bottle of sake and slamming his money onto the table, he left the bar.

Emi followed him.

"She's your ex, isn't she?" Emi said. "When did you break up?"

"This morning. She left me this morning, at two o'clock." It was now eight in the morning.

"Holy shit," Emi swore.

"Yeah. I was like that too, you know? It was like- holy shit- she's gone, and I have to get married."

"Did you cry?"

"What!"

"I mean it- did you cry?"

"I never cry, so stop it."

"Why did you break up?"

"Are you that blind?" Neji asked sarcastically.

Emi bit her lip.

"Did you love her?"

"What?!"

"Did you love her?" Emi repeated.

"I still do, and will always."

"How long have you known her?"

"Since we were five. I met her at the academy, and she was assigned to my genin cell at the age of 13," it didn't occur to Neji to ask why he was answering these questions so freely.

"When did you realise you loved her?" Emi asked slowly.

"What?!"

Emi rolled her eyes.

"When did you realise that you loved her?" she repeated loudly.

"Three, maybe four years after."

"After what? Meeting her? Or being assigned to the same thing?"

"Genin cell. It's called a genin cell. There, you have your answers. Leave me alone! You're as annoying as those freaking fan girls," Neji waved her away and Emi persisted, but Neji had vanished.

Emi sighed. What she needed now was a manual on how to melt an ice cube prodigy. It was just too bad that she hadn't met this Tenten girl.


	6. Sisters and Sake

**E2: Another Chapter… ugh. This is kind of getting annoying already.**

**Happy Birthday Chouji! (May 1st)**

**Another chapter comes, and another secret is revealed. For those who are confused… Tenten lost her memory- she is known as Miyako because she introduced herself as that to Hiroshi when he first met her. She is not any older, or younger than he says she is.**

**I hope you enjoy this one, the Naruto-Hinata pairing starts to come into this more, and a few other things, with a warning: stupid ideas have begun to surface. Wait- they already did. Sorry.**

**Chapter Six: Sisters… and Sake**

Miyako sat on a small futon in a tea room that overlooked the sea- and Hiroshi's four sisters sat opposite her.

Akane had brown eyes, red hair, and she was taller than the other three, with creamy skin with freckles here and there. Miyako suspected she had a bit of a fiery nature to suit the colour of flames in her hair.

Hana had long, braided, emerald green hair that made the flower in her hair seem as if it had grown on the viridian silk. Her green eyes were different to Hiroshi's - there was something about them that was different, like the way that they shone with a light that was not like the man's.

Asuka wore a strange fragrance that smelled like the wind, orchids and the sun – it was confusing. She had slightly wavy sandy blonde hair and long lashes framed her hazel eyes. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful of the four.

Hotanu, with the firefly trapped in amber around her wrist, had blue hair and grey-lilac coloured eyes. Her skin seemed to gleam slightly in an unearthly way, even in the warm sunlight- it was probably just a trick of the light. They were all unassumingly, yet boldly, beautiful at the same time.

They were all different, yet the same- she supposed it was their faces. They had the same cheeks, nose and mouth, even if their hair and eyes were different, along with their build.

Currently, they were meditating- Miyako kept fidgeting lightly, finding it hard to clear her mind. Akane saw that she was restless, and dismissed her sisters.

"Miyako-san… what's wrong?" Akane asked. "You're not normally this troubled."

"I know, and I'm sorry- it's just that I'm feeling a bit restless. Can we continue this on the deck? I wish to sit in the sun."

Akane nodded, taking a thick, leather bound book with her as they walked through the house to the deck.

"I have other duties to attend to, Miyako-san," Akane said quietly. "But I'll leave you with this book anyway- it's a history of my family, and the talents of the Hideaki kekkei genkai."

"Thank you," Miyako said, sitting down on a deck chair and taking the book. Akane left her alone. After a few moments, and she opened the book, tracing the symbols etched on the cover. There were fifteen of them, with eight on the outside, four set in a diamond inside the octagon, two carved in a horizontal alignment and one set dead in the middle of the cover, as black as night. Miyako shivered as she opened the pages, but quickly found herself lost within them.

The Hideaki clan could, the book read, control the subconscious and unconscious mind, and had very limited power on the waking mind. When sleeping, they could do anything they wished; their power was unchallenged in the night, but during the daylight, their power was limited but for those who possessed more than eight seals.

While sleeping, however, one with the kekkei genkai of the Hideaki clan could perform any act they so desired- telekinesis, teleportation, assassination, brainwave manipulation and even shapeshifting- and unable to be detected by those with other kekkei genkai such as the Byakugan.

Miyako started, the book slamming shut. She looked around- the sun was low in the sky, the breeze had picked up, and the area had cooled significantly.

Picking up the book once again, Miyako wondered why no one had bothered to tell her to come inside. She walked into the dining room and slid the glass panels shut behind her. The room was uncharacteristically dark, and the glass panels had vanished, turning into a brick wall.

Miyako's eyes narrowed, her senses attuned to the slightest movement as she moved through the darkness.

"Miya!" Hiroshi's voice echoed off the walls, and she whipped around, her fists flying up. "What are you doing?"

Miyako blinked and the darkness vanished.

"Oh nothing… you just scared me," Miyako smiled, feeling suddenly serene. "How was your day?"

"Fine- everything was just fine," Hiroshi smiled. He stepped back, taking the book from her. He placed his hands tenderly on her shoulders, his eyes roaming across her skin. Miyako shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"What are you doing?"

Hiroshi smiled. "Nothing- I was just remembering the first time I ever saw you… you were so beautiful," he breathed lightly, the warmth spreading across the nape of her neck, the skin turning to gooseflesh. In a sudden motion, Miyako pulled his lips to hers, her hands twining in his hair. She didn't know what she was doing, or why- it just seemed like she needed to do it, like someone had just pulled her strings, like she was a marionette, dancing for an audience of one…

----x----

Neji made it back to the apartment that he and Tenten had lived in. Three days ago seemed so far away- an eternity, in fact. Suddenly, the phone rang, the shrill jangle getting to his nerves.

"Hello?"

"Neji- it's Hinata."

"What can I do for you, Hinata-sama?"

"You left your things here- do you want it sent over?"

"No, I'll drop by later."

"Um… Emi is here with me- she says that you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk. Tell her that she's just being nosy, and I don't appreciate it. It's not her place," Neji retorted angrily. Damn that child-woman-thing!

"Neji… she's your fiancée. Please, for the sake of our clan, get along with her- this treaty… it's fragile for now- if it screws up…"

"It'll blow up in our faces. Yeah I know. Tell you what. I'll take a nap… I'm feeling like I'm spinning around… and if I recover in time, I'll drop by and spend the night at the compound for the next few days and help you get all this… stuff in order. How's 'at sound?" he asked, his words slurring together.

"Um… okay then. Thanks, Neji,"

"No probs… Hina-sama…" Neji hung up the phone and ambled down the hallway towards the bedroom.

He fell onto the bed, and tried to sleep. It came only after he imagined a certain brown eyed, brunette kunoichi, still at his side, stroking his hair away from his face, her fingers smooth and cool against his heated skin.

"I love you, Tenten," he said to his imaginary weapons expert. "I love you, so much," he repeated, tears falling from his eyes.

The apparition simply smiled sadly, as he had known that she would. There was no answer from her- only the sound of Neji's slow, even breaths filled the room.

----x----

"You are so cute when you sleep, you know," Emi struggled not to cry when Neji grabbed her wrist without battering, or opening for that matter, an eyelid.

He slowly opened his lilac eyes and glared at Emi for many reasons. Firstly, she had woken him up. Secondly, she had followed him to where he lived and thirdly, because he needed to take out the pain of a head splitting headache on someone.

"Emi," he growled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you," she said in her annoyingly high pitched girlish voice, wrenching her hand out of his grip.

"Why? There was absolutely no need to," he said dismissively and rolled over. "Get out of my bedroom, Emi."

"Do I have to?" Emi pouted.

"Yes," Neji said. "Or I will make you get out."

"You obviously need someone to look after you, Neji-kun."

Neji's eye twitched at the suffix.

"Why is that?" he asked coldly.

"Because," she giggled, and Neji rolled his eyes. "Your hair's undone and tangled, and your clothes are half coming off."

It was true- Neji had slept unusually violently for the past what- five hours?

He shrugged like it meant nothing to him, and Emi began to become interested in the other items around the bedroom. She spotted a photo in a silver photo frame, with a kanji for 'love' engraved in the corner. The photo itself was… interesting. It showed Neji fully making out with some brunette in a disco kind of setting. Emi presumed it was this Tenten- what was so special about her? She looked like any other random villager on the street.

"Don't touch my things," Neji snapped, snatching the photo frame out of her hands.

"Sorry, it was just sitting there," Emi retorted. She had noticed the angry flash in his eyes that had been awfully close to hatred.

"Well leave it there, then," Neji growled softly. He pushed her out of the room and ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. A few minutes later, he emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed, to find Emi in the bathroom, looking in the cupboard.

"Find anything interesting?" he asked sardonically.

Emi started and bashed the top of her head on the bottom of the sink.

"NO!" she said loudly. "I mean… nothing… I mean- I'm sorry. Did you… live here, together?"

"Yes. You've been looking through the products in the bathroom. I think you'd be able to put two and two together," Neji said sarcastically. "Now get out. We're leaving in a few minutes- I just need to pack some things."

--------

Miyako woke suddenly, shivering in the abrupt cold. She rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around her. A hand moved up her back, and she felt him smile against her skin.

"Why are you awake, Miya?" he asked huskily.

"It's cold."

Hiroshi pulled the sheets up over her head, and she rolled over, looking intently at him and then at the gold band on her finger. Her mind told her that they'd been married for two years, but her heart felt otherwise.

"How can you look at me like that?" she asked quietly.

"Like what?"

"Like you haven't seen me at all everyday for the last two years."

Hiroshi smiled.

"Because everyday, you grow even more lovely and beautiful in my eyes," he kissed her unconvincingly and settled back down to sleep, feeling replete. Miyako, on the other hand, felt slightly troubled. Hiroshi's fingers moved slightly, and the thoughts were erased from her mind as she smiled, and kissed his lips gently before, also, settling down to sleep.


	7. Settling In

**E2: Well, isn't this getting interesting?**

Top of Form

**Chapter Seven: Settling In**

After showering and shaving, Neji walked briskly back to the Hyuuga compound, dragging Emi along beside him as he navigated through the busy streets.

"Neji!"

Neji didn't stop walking. He knew who it was.

"Neji! Don't keep walking like you don't know who I am!" demanded a shrill voice. In a flash, the owner of the voice had appeared in front of him and greeted him jovially.

"H—eh?" Sakura caught sight of Emi, clinging onto Neji's hand.

"What do you want?"

"I thought that… you had come home early, and I wanted to see Tenten… but she's obviously not here," Sakura said cautiously.

"Hi!" Emi smiled. "I'm Emi! Neji-kun and I are engaged! Isn't it wonderful!" she jumped excitedly up and down and Sakura gave her a dry look.

"Listen; do you know where Tenten is?" Sakura asked, deliberately skirting the subject of the engagement.

"No."

"You mean… she didn't come back with you?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Is she still at the beach place you went to?"

"I don't know. I left when I woke up," Neji said shortly, aware of the hand clutching his.

"Like she…" Sakura knew it wasn't the right time to be drilling him for details in the middle of the street with that annoying girl-woman… thing there with him, listening to every word they exchanged. She seemed… sneaky and cunning, and not as 'innocent' as she looked.

"I'm so sorry- you must be in a hurry to get somewhere," Sakura stammered. "Is it alright if I meet up with you tomorrow? At your place?" she innocently twirled a kunai in her fingers and Neji knew she meant his training grounds, so he nodded.

The kunoichi flitted away, back to her original task (having an afternoon out with Ino), and Neji continued almost dragging Emi through the markets.

"Was that…?" Ino looked at her friend.

"Yeah- it was Neji." Sakura sighed and mixed her iced tea around with her straw.

"What is it?"

"I'm worried- Neji said Tenten didn't come back with him."

"What? Why?" Ino demanded. She and Tenten had grown closer over the course of eight months, and the young Nara-to-be was very concerned about all of her friends.

"Neji's engaged," Sakura said quietly.

"Are you serious?" Ino exclaimed loudly.

"Be quiet! It's not official yet- I don't know for sure, though."

"Why?"

"His fiancée said it."

"Then why don't you believe it?"

"Because… there's something not right about her."

"Well, I guess that's not for us to say," Ino frowned. "But I am worried about Tenten. Come on- we have to go ask Temari if she's seen her."

Sakura nodded, drank the rest of her tea and left the small café, following Ino back to her house.

----x----

Neji and Emi arrived at the compound after a few more minutes and Neji left Emi at the door, leaving her maid to attend to her, and went to seek Hinata.

He knocked briskly on the door and entered.

"Neji..." Hinata sighed, and waved weakly.

"Are you okay, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked immediately coming to kneel at her side.

"Yes... it's just been a long day... but I have something to ask of your opinion, and if you support what I am asking of you, it would mean a change for the entire family..."

"Just ask me."

"How would you feel... if I wanted to take away the Head-Branch family system?"

"That is quite the unnecessary question, Hinata-sama. In fact, it is merely... a formality now, in our family."

"Well- I want to do away with it, for good- to just take everything out of the corners, and just have everyone together, united and strong."

Neji paused before answering.

"This is quite a task you've set up for yourself- you'll have to get Hiashi-sama's will sorted out first, and then... the wedding... and then your own wedding, too," he smiled genuinely.

"Thanks, Neji. It means a lot to me," Hinata returned the smile, and sighed, turning beck to her work.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Neji asked, a hint of humour in his voice.

"Yes- I want you to be as nice as you can to Emi," Hinata said, turning to him with a steely glint in her eyes.

"I think that is a harder task than dissolving the ranks between the families."

"You have to try, Neji- for everyone's sake. Do it for Tenten, and make sure that her sacrifice of your relationship was not in vain, please. I am begging you."

Neji stood, his mind suddenly closed at the mention of Tenten's name.

"I will try, Hinata-sama," he said, rigid and formal as he left the room silently, shutting the doors with ease as he left.

----x----

Neji locked his room door and sat at his desk. There was a knock on the adjoining door, and he knew it was Emi. Without waiting for an answer, the blonde entered the room and opened his suitcase.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked, pushing her hands away from his belongings.

"Helping you unpack, because it's obvious you don't want to do it." Emi smiled.

"That is unnecessary." Neji said coldly, and began to take the dirty clothes from the top of the suitcase to the laundry.

"I was just trying to help," Emi said softly, looking down at the black bag. She saw something blue, and pulled it out from beneath the clothes. It was a blue dress that fell down to her knees and sleeves that were long and flowing that covered her hands. The fabric was beautiful and smooth, and it looked perfectly new and unwrinkled. She held it to her front as she stood in front of a mirror and tried to imagine what she would look like wearing it.

Then it occurred to her- why did Neji have a beautiful blue dress with his clothes? Was it a gift? Had it belonged to this Tenten girl?

"Emi," Neji said in a soft, deadly tone. "Never touch that, ever again. If you do, I will kill you. Now, get out of my room."

Emi tearfully pushed the dress to his body and ran out of the room via the adjoining door that connected to her servant's room.

Neji was rough around the edges- Emi thought as she wiped away her tears. But she would change that. She would make sure that he was the man she wanted him to be and he would love her until the end of the world. It was a comforting thought to her as she brushed her hair before she went to dinner. Neji wouldn't remember that other girl's name- not after what she'd planned.

--------

On Friday, the next week, Miyako woke to find that, once again, her husband had left. Sighing, Miyako left the bed, suddenly remembering her bareness and the servants who had just entered the room, waking her.

"This is rather embarrassing," she muttered.

Asuka smiled, handing her some clothes.

"That's why no men are allowed in here after Hiroshi has left," Hotanu said, quickly straightening the sheets. "Which reminds me," she paused. "Hiro has already left for work- he was going to wake you and say goodbye, but he wanted to let you rest."

Miyako changed into a simple singlet top with beading detail and a white cotton ruffled skirt with a wide band of a variety of shaded blue beads that looked like a belt.

"So," Miyako said to fill the silence as Akane handed her the comb, sitting at the dresser. "What are we doing today?"

"I don't know…" Hotanu said. "I mean, Hiro's not here, so it's not like he's going to come back and tell us what to do…"

"Is he the oldest out of all of you?"

Asuka nodded. "He's the leader of our clan, by birthright."

"If the weather's good, do you want to go down to the beach?" Hana suggested, looking excited.

"I guess," Akane said carefully. Miyako sensed that they followed Akane more than Hiroshi- and respected her more, too. "We can teach Miya there, too."

Miyako smiled. "Teach me what?"

Hotanu raised her eyebrow at Miyako's question. "What do you think you were reading yesterday?"

"I'm learning… all that?"

"Hiroshi said that he wanted you to familiarize yourself with it when he left- but he'd initiate you properly."

"Okay then…" Miyako said, sounding unsure. She suddenly realized something. "Why is it, that when Hiro isn't around, you four are way more talkative?"

Hotanu shrugged. "Hiro likes the quiet- and not the sound of four chattering younger sisters."

------------------

The four sisters plus Tenten walked down to the beach. Hotanu, as the youngest- she was 16- was skipping daintily on the slippery rocks, but never faltering in her movements. Akane, Hana and Asuka settled down on the golden sand, with Miyako.

Hana smirked before handing her the book.

"Do you have an idea of what it takes to be completely adopted into the clan?"

Miyako shuddered. She knew about the ritual that brought out the fifteen symbols of the Hideaki clan- in fact, the more symbols you had, the more pain you felt. But time- the darkest symbol on the cover of the book often left the person exhausted for days afterwards. Everyone in the clan had control over at least four out of fifteen areas- earth, wind, water, fire, air, metal, wood, and lightning in the outer circle; mind, body, heart and soul in the diamond; life, death and time on the inside. There was no one in the clan who had all fifteen- only one still living member of the clan had fourteen, but they had no ability to heal nor to resurrect; life was absent from their markings. As it was, resurrection required the more powerful, inner three seals; and no one since the founder of their clan, Hyuuga Hideaki had ever possessed all fifteen seals.

However, all Hideaki had at least four seals- two elements, the mind and death.

Just by looking, though, Tenten could discern that Akane controlled fire and lightning – as did Hotanu, but Akane leaned more towards fire, and Hotanu to lightning and metal. Asuka controlled water, air and wind and Hana controlled earth, wood and possibly water, for nothing could survive without the aid of water. Hiroshi was harder to read- perhaps he had all elements within him?

"Miya?"

"Sorry," Miyako said. "I spaced out."

Asuka smirked. "Obviously."

"What were you saying, though?" Miyako asked Hana.

"Oh right- I was wondering if you'd want a bit of a lesson."

Miyako's eyes flicked distastefully at the book- she'd finished it yesterday, but somehow got the feeling that if she read it again, nothing would be the same.

Asuka laughed at her expression.

"I think she meant a demonstration of our … talents," Akane filled in.

Asuka's eyes glowed summer-sea blue as she twirled her fingers, and the ocean spray twisted in circles around Hotanu, who evaporated some of the water, creating mist and Asuka laughed, letting her control of the water slip away and her eyes returned to normal.

"That's not nice!" Hotanu shouted, coming to sit by them.

Akane's eyes changed to a deep scarlet- it reminded Miyako of the colour of the Sharingan (which she knew because… she just did) – and she opened her palms. In one hand, sparks of electricity flickered up and down her skin, and in the other, a fireball resided.

Hana's eyes turned to a sage green, and her fingertips grazed the sand lightly, causing daisies to grow.

"So… how does it work?" Miyako asked.

"Simple- you just use your mind to basically… wish what you want- but you need to control how much chakra you need to use to get the effect you need- especially with things like water in its liquid form, fire, lightning and wind. The easiest ones to control are the fixed elements, like wood, metal and earth because you can touch them easily." Akane explained.

Miyako nodded.

"So… what elements do you think I could control?" she asked.

"There's a lot of metal, earth, wood, fire and lightning in your personality… but who knows? The ceremony tonight will tell everything." Hotanu smiled, and Miyako felt slightly uneasy.

-------x-------

Neji sighed, sitting down on his bed, cradling his head in his hands. None of this would have ever happened if… Neji thought for a moment. What would life have been like if… Naruto hadn't won that fight? Would his perspective on life still have changed? What would have happened if Sasuke hadn't left (then come back) and he hadn't needed to fight Kidomaru, and almost died upon winning? Would his destiny have been lived out… without the loss of having Tenten by his side? In this situation, he might have lamented the fact that he could spend a lot less time with a teammate in training and missions… but it wouldn't have hurt that much, right?

But the thoughts kept roaming in Neji's mind: their first kiss, their first official date… their first, well… everything. And then he sighed. This was destined to be, it seemed, regardless of how he had tried to fight it. Being locked up by fate again, twice by Emi, three times by Hiashi-sama… and a hundredfold by his ache for Tenten. He had to make everything work so that the sacrifice of the love of his life… was not in vain.


	8. The Proposal

**E2: mmm…. This is turning out quite strangely. **

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

**Okay, so I'm addicted to this. I can't stop writing- even if I have to study for exams that count towards my school certificate… but it's all good news for everyone except for me! Lol! So now, we start to get the time warp. It's night time where Neji is, and early morning where Tenten is. This is making my head warp up. This is not good.**

**So, read, review and enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: The Proposal**

That night, after supper, Neji left his room at precisely nine o'clock, silently and stealthily. The lamps and lights had all been turned down, so he would be less likely to be caught by…

"Neji-kun?" Emi whispered.

Neji held in his frustration. This girl was such a nuisance! She was always in the way and didn't know her place- and his boundaries for that matter. He liked his amount of space and while he had never disliked the idea of marriage, this case was an extreme exception. Emi was whiny, childish, clingy, and completely dependent on other people like a spoiled brat. Hanabi, who was now around the age of 13, was the complete opposite- she was silent, resilient, strong, and smart. She was a very skilled kunoichi and had inherited much of the Hyuuga talent.

"What are you doing?" Emi simpered, running her fingers idly through her blonde hair as she fluttered her eyelashes. Neji noticed she was wearing eyeliner and gold eye shadow to bring out the warmer flecks of colour in her hazel eyes. He said nothing and continued to walk, Emi shadowing his movements as he walked briskly, apart from the fact that she had to take two steps to match his long strides and had to walk at a half-run.

He stopped at the door of Hinata's study, knocked and entered. It was much the same as when he had entered it that afternoon but this time, there was an extra person in there besides Hinata.

Hinata, dressed in a simple, elegant black kimono, sat in her leather chair, her fingers gently steeped while her wrists lay on the table. There was someone else sitting in the chair opposite her with light brown hair done up in a complex knot, secured in place with a hair clip with a large, ornate flower that was decorated with golden glitter at the edge of the large, cream petals.

They looked up at Neji's entrance, and Emi squealed upon seeing the other woman.

"Aimi!" Emi jumped on the other woman as she stood, and they talked and smiled quietly. Takumi Aimi turned around and glanced at Neji.

"So," she said softly. Her voice was quiet, but her eyes belied her words and posture. Her sage green eyes were alert and sharp, although her body seemed relaxed. "It seems that my sister has been having some trouble with you."

Neji said nothing, his eyes taking in the fact that Emi was standing slightly behind and to the side of the older woman.

Hinata spoke up.

"Aimi has proposed, on behalf of the Takumi clan, to postpone the wedding for three years with enough time for Emi," she paused to look at the girl, "to get used to life here, used to you, and get to know you as a person, as someone more than her husband, or fiancée out of duty."

"What's the catch?"

Hinata sighed. She knew Neji would not like this one bit. She crossed her fingers behind her back, and said, "Emi has to live with you at your apartment, and be with you at all times unless she chooses not to be, also with the exclusion of shinobi missions, business and meetings. But this doesn't exclude training, Neji," she said, with caution in her voice. Neji could be a bit of a workaholic- well, in this case, a _train-_aholic.

"I understand," he said curtly. He bowed at Hinata and Aimi in return, and left the room in swift, long strides. Emi stared at his back for a few moments.

"I think… I think he took that fairly well," she said, shutting the doors.

"You don't know him enough," Hinata said softly as she sighed and sat down, motioning for the other to sit, also. They had the same facial features, the same kind of strange aura around them of something that was not describable.

After a few moments of thinking, Hinata stopped drumming her fingers on the table.

"Out of curiosity," she began, "why did you want to wait three years?"

"Emi is in love with the idea of being in love," Aimi said, smiling fondly at her younger sister.

Hinata smiled, although it was somewhat transparent.

"I… see- so you want Neji to marry you because he loves you, not because he has to for the sake of many reasons."

Emi blushed, and nodded. Hinata looked at the young woman, in her pale blue kimono and hair unbound and brushed, and mentally sighed. Both she and Neji knew that Emi was not the kind of woman he would want to spend the rest of his life with. She was extremely high maintenance, and knew nothing about his world. Tenten had lived and breathed for that same world that he lived in and had known him for so many years. They had known each other inside and out… suddenly, Hinata wondered where the other kunoichi was, and how she was doing.

--------

Miyako pulled on the black ceremonial robes, feeling dizzy from fasting. In a few minutes, she would be truly a part of the Hideaki Clan.

Asuka came to her side, dressed in crimson robes as a member of the family.

"Nervous?" she asked softly as she led her, barefoot, out of the house. They took a candle lined path through the forested area, the rocks feeling like glass beneath Miyako's numb toes.

"Yes," she glanced at the blonde- she was about Tenten's height, and the same age. "Should I be?"

"Don't worry," Akane said, coming out of the darkness. Hotanu and Hana joined her in similar robes of red, their hair unbound and feet bare. "You'll be fine."

They led her to a clearing where Tenten saw a crackling bonfire and heard the sounds of a steady river. Hiroshi stood in the centre in white robes and his feet bare, the orange of the flames casting bloody shadows across the stark white.

"Miyako…" he said softly. Miyako knew she was talking to the man who led his clan- not her husband. "Step into the circle."

The four sisters, silent observers, blocked the exit way to the candle lined trail and Miyako shut her eyes before opening them again after taking a deep breath. Taking sure, unhurried steps, Miyako walked towards Hiroshi, stopping at the edge of a circle of a silvery white light. Licking her lips, Miyako walked through the light which turned golden as she walked through. The circle opened up on the other side past Hiroshi. She knew it led to the river where she would drink and bathe in the river before the ceremony began. She did this mechanically, her mind snapping back to attention when the water touched her lips, tingling as it slipped down her throat. It seemed more potent than sake, without the burning, and Miyako's mind became both clearer and hazed at the same time. She could sense tension heavy in the air, and walked back to Hiroshi who handed her the black robe to don once again.

"Tonight," he said loudly, "the number of the noble Hideaki clan is brought to seven. Miyako," he turned to her. "Do you come here, to this sacred place, with a pure heart and mind?"

She nodded fractionally. "Yes," she whispered.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly. She only averted her eyes, knowing there was no way of avoiding this. It was something she'd agreed on before marrying him- if it lasted long enough.

She removed the robe; using the tie as a blindfold- she would not be able to use her eyes until the next morning. Then, it began- like a burning brand was pressed to her skin, Miyako felt the fire seal etched on her skin by Hiroshi's words, muttered fast and low beneath his breath. Nothing touched her, but it felt like someone was wrenching something from her soul whenever another seal added itself to the others. By the time Hiroshi had reached the part to draw forth the seal of death, her nails were caked with dirt, and the warm blood dripped from her back, and she could taste it in her mouth. Miyako did not know what level they were up to- nor did she care. All she wanted was for the pain to stop, for everything to stop hurting, and let her wounds be healed.

After an age, the pain did stop and Hiroshi helped her to stand, tying a sarong like cloth about her waist as he led her, once again, to the river, and gently poured the water down her back- it burned almost as much as the drawing of seals, but with a deadly iciness.

Her teeth began to chatter, and Hiroshi placed the robe back around her shoulders, causing more tears to dampen the blindfold, and a low moan to escape Miyako's bleeding mouth.

"Hideaki Miyako," Hiroshi whispered, and she sensed movement- he was bowing to her. He kissed her sweat chilled forehead and she fainted.

----x----

Sakura paced agitatedly around the clearing. Neji was late and she hoped that he didn't have to bring his fiancée with him- it was troubling enough that he even had one who wasn't Tenten in the first place. She pulled out some kunai and began to throw them at the trees, aiming for a particular spot. After three tries, she decided it would be a lot more of a stress reliever to just punch it to smithereens like she had often seen Lee kick a tree to matchsticks. The pink haired kunoichi punched the sturdy trunk, and she barely felt the pain. After seven punches, the tree had fallen, and her body was shaking with the adrenaline rush that was pumping recklessly, energetically through her body.

"Sorry for being late. Emi wanted to come," Neji said in a monotone.

Sakura turned around. Neji stood at the edge of the clearing, alone.

"I thought you said that Emi wanted to come."

"I said it was a shinobi meeting."

"I see. So you lied to her," Sakura said accusingly. Neji glared, and she held up her hands, smiling. "But it's not like I don't approve or anything…"

Neji crossed his arms. Sakura jumped up into a tree branch and Neji joined her.

"What did you want to know about?" Neji asked.

"Everything," Sakura demanded. "What went on when you were up there?"

Neji sighed, and recounted the events.

"You slept with her… eight hours before meeting Emi!" Sakura screeched, her cry sending all the birds in the surrounding area up into the sky.

Neji rolled his eyes.

"We… didn't know how else to do it," he mumbled.

"You couldn't just say good bye, I'll drive you back to Konoha?" Sakura sighed.

"We're getting side tracked."

"Right. Um. Have you talked to Temari yet?"

"No. I thought you said you were going to," Neji said.

"Yeah. I will today."

"Now you know all of the details. Now, I have to go."

"What? Wedding preparations?"

"No."

"What? Aren't you getting married soon?"

"It's been postponed."

"What? Why? For how long?"

"Three years."

"Do you have an idea why?"

Neji turned away from her.

"She wants me to fall in love with her," he said, quietly, and Sakura shivered at the haunted tone in his voice before he jumped away.

The kunoichi glanced at her watch.

"I'M LATE!"

----x----

Sakura and Ino were at the recently fully finished and furnished Uchiha complex that was nowhere near where the old Uchiha clan had lived. That place had too many memories that haunted Sasuke and was a bad place to raise children. Speaking of which, the pink haired Uchiha was now three months pregnant.

But that wasn't currently important- she and Ino were calling Temari, to try and straighten things out.

"Hello?"

"Hey Temari. It's Uchiha Sakura."

"Hey Sakura! Is there anything wrong?"

"I was just wondering if you knew anything about Tenten."

"Tenten? Isn't she in Konoha? I haven't seen her since your wedding," Temari said, a hint of concern entering her voice.

"Really? Neji said that he had been talking to you like the day before yesterday!"

"Neji? Hyuuga Neji? I haven't talked to him since your wedding, too. What's going on?"

Sakura quickly recounted the events of what had happened on Tenten and Neji's holiday.

"This… makes no sense. Some one's been impersonating me. I don't even have any nieces and I know no one called Tetsu. I will track down this idiot who thinks she can pose as me and get away with it."

"She got past Neji's Byakugan," Sakura reminded the other kunoichi.

"Well, he trusts me so he wouldn't check on me or anything like that," Temari snapped.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"About what?"

"This entire thing."

"Why don't you check the records about Hiashi's body from the coroners?"

"They don't say anything- only that he died in his sleep."

"I see."

An awkward silence hung around for a few moments.

"I'm pregnant," Sakura said suddenly, to fill the silence.

"Really? Congratulations!" Temari said warmly.

"Thanks."

"How many months?"

"Three…"

"Oh, I see. Well… that's great news! Have you thought of a name yet?"

"No. I only found out today after I talked to Neji."

"Okay… well I have to go. It's been great talking to you Sakura, and Ino- yes, I know you're there and I'm saying hi- and say hi to Shika for me, too!" she teased. The line went dead, and both Ino and Sakura sighed.

----x----

"Neji-kun? Are you listening?" Emi tilted her head once more at him, and Neji looked down into her hazel eyes.

"What were you saying? If it's something about a boutique back at home, I don't want to hear it."

"I wasn't saying anything like that. I wanted to know if you could teach me how to fight," Emi said, beaming.

"You want to learn how to fight? Ask Hanabi to teach you first and then I will."

Emi pouted.

"Why won't you teach me?"

"Because Hanabi is also a female and will be able to train your fighting methods in a better way than I can."

"Why?"

"Because fighting is different for everyone. Males have a higher stamina. If you can keep up with Hanabi, then you have a chance of learning to keep up with me."

"What about Tenten? You fought with her everyday when you were younger."

"That was…"

"Different?" Emi's temper flared. "How is it different?" she demanded. "It's not like you loved her the first time you saw her! I am trying to make an effort to understand you! Why can't you let me into your world, Neji?"

"Because," Neji said coldly. "You're annoying." He turned on his heel, and walked away.

"Neji!" Emi screamed, her voice high pitched- a sign she had lost all authority and control. "You are my fiancée! You can not just turn your back on me!" Tears began to gather and fall from her eyes.

Neji said nothing and everyone stared at the girl crying in the middle of the street. She caught their pitying looks and snarled viciously at one girl passing by, "What are you looking at?"

The young woman glanced away, muttering nothing, and Emi wiped away her tears furiously. She had thought that it would have made him happy, that she was showing an interest in what he did. Instead, he just pushed her away, like she was nothing of importance to him. Maybe he was just afraid of opening up. Maybe he did want to love her and forget about Tenten but he just didn't know how.

Emi smiled brightly and went to seek out a certain Hyuuga.

--------

Miyako woke, feeling disorientated. Her hair was plastered to her forehead but her back, strangely enough, was normal. She had expected a lot more pain than this.

As if on cue, Hiroshi entered the room and kissed her gently before sitting down on the bed, taking her hand in his.

"How are you feeling?"

She shrugged.

"Fine, I guess."

Her voice was husky and she was surprised at how it sounded.

"How long did I sleep for?"

"A week," Hiroshi said breezily.

"A week?!?!"

Hiroshi smirked at her reaction and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Do you want to try walk around?"

"I guess," she sighed.

Hiroshi stood and led her out of the bed, helping her when she faltered.

She stared into his eyes for a moment and something within her rebelled. Her eyes narrowed and she stood straighter again, gently shrugging him off in the motion.

"I think I'll be fine, thanks." She said quietly. She knew he sensed the change in her and yet he did not act hurt. She could only wonder what it meant.

**Wow. Emi has serious issues- tantrum-prone one moment, sunnily happy the next.** **I guess that's one of the benefits of being completely delusional.**

Top of Form


	9. Giving Up Hope

**E2: Wow, it seems to just all happen at once. I can't really be bothered, sorry.**

**So, read, review and I do hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter Nine: Giving Up Hope**

Hiashi's funeral was a quiet, sombre affair. It was even more quiet than usual in the Hyuuga household. Even Emi felt the oppressing silence bearing down and pressing on all of her senses. Hinata and Hanabi had not been the only ones to cry that day- Hiashi had been the one to open Neji's cage, and he would never forget that favour for the rest of his life, no matter how close he came to severely hating his uncle whenever he saw Emi. It wasn't his fault that he had died but the fact was that he had forced Neji into a marriage that would be completely fake made Neji feel the beginning of the trapped door once more. But this time, that cage's name was not Fate- it was Emi.

That night, after dinner, Neji went to Hinata and Hanabi who were sitting in Hanabi's bedroom. They were talking about old times and of all the memories and times they had shared with their father, good and bad.

"Neji…" Hanabi said quietly to Neji when Hinata left to go back to her study. There were still, unfortunately, things to sort out. "I think there's something not right about this whole thing."

"What whole thing?"

"With my father's death and Emi's arrival. Her clan is not that prestigious and I really think that he knew that you were in love with Tenten."

Neji scowled darkly at her even though he knew that she was trying to tell him something.

"Okay, I know. Just look," Hanabi brought a file out of a large box under her bed. "Sakura and Ino gave this to me today, and told me to tell you to look at it."

Neji opened the file. It was from the hospital and Neji realized that Sakura must have pulled more than a few strings to obtain the documents in the nondescript file.

"It's Emi," Neji said blandly. "Takumi Emi."

"But look- she died three hundred years ago. There has been no Takumi Emi in the Takumi Clan since her death."

"Then… how about her sister… that Aimi girl?"

"She doesn't exist either," Hanabi said.

There was a long pause and Hanabi silently put away the file and locked the box. Neji looked at Hanabi and the younger girl nodded. They sensed her coming.

"What's going on?" Emi said from the doorway, five seconds later.

"Nothing, just family things- things you don't need to know about," Neji snapped and Emi flinched, like she had been slapped in the face.

"I _am_ going to be a part of thisfamily!" Emi shouted back.

"Emi, Neji," Hinata said quietly, coming out of the shadows. "Please, be more silent. Everyone can hear you because your voices are echoing. Please, pay respect to my father. I know he means nothing to you, Emi, but if you are to live here for the next few years, you must respect our ways," she said with a quiet, polite, and unassuming authority. It was something that she had a knack with and could bend many an ambassador to her will- Hinata had been working on relations with the Hyuuga clan and all other villages for many, many years, now.

"We're sorry," Neji said brusquely as he grabbed Emi's arm. "Goodnight, Hanabi-sama, Hinata-sama."

"Goodnight, Neji-nii-san," both girls chorused, and smiled gently at one another. Neji nodded at Hanabi, and pulled Emi back through the compound to the other end where his and Emi's room- he suppressed a shudder- was located.

"Go to sleep, Emi," Neji let go of her arm and entered his room, locking the door.

That night, Neji dreamt of Tenten. She was crying and wanted only to touch his face just one more time. Neji was crying also, and gently traced the planes of her face- something his thumbs had memorised.

"Stay with me," Neji breathed.

Suddenly, she seemed so very real and Neji kissed her lips like he had been wanting to ever since she had left him in the middle of the night. It was rough, and passionate, and yet… something wasn't right. Tenten seemed almost… shy- like she'd never been kissed by him before.

Neji abruptly woke, realizing, too late, that his Tenten was really Emi. He pulled away from her and the pain in his eyes must have shown, for Emi only smiled sadly.

"Won't you just go back to sleep?" Emi asked her voice breaking. "Why can't you love me like you loved Tenten?"

"Because…" Neji said hoarsely. "I still love her. And… you're too different. You're not the same as she is."

"Will you kiss me again?" Emi asked, twirling her golden hair with her fingers. Neji suddenly realised that she was completely bare and the moonlight was shining on her smooth, fair skin.

"Have you come to seduce me?" Neji asked stupidly.

Emi said nothing, but placed a hand over Neji's eyes, his eyelids fluttering shut. He wouldn't remember anything tomorrow- it would have all been just a dream.

----x----

When Neji woke the next day, it was because his blanket was twisting around, and he wasn't getting enough warmth. He grumpily pulled on it and something brushed against his chest. He looked down and saw that it was hair. Golden hair, to be precise. Neji instantly knew who it was.

"Emi?" Neji looked at the blonde, knowing that she was awake.

"Yes, Neji?" Emi rolled over and the Hyuuga found that the young woman was completely without clothing and in his arms, cuddling closer to his chest.

"What are you doing here, naked, in my bed?"

"You asked me to come here last night."

"I highly doubt that," Neji said dryly, inching away from her.

"No- really, you did! I couldn't sleep last night, and I came to you to ask you where the kitchen was, and you told me to stay with you, and you kissed me, and took off my clothes!" Emi smiled, and traced circles on his smooth chest. "But don't worry… I won't tell anyone," she leaned up to kiss his lips, but Neji smoothly slid out of the blankets and away from his, loath as he was to use the term, _fiancée_.

"Will you ever?" Emi asked softly, her eyes downcast as she pulled the blanket up around her.

"Will I ever what?" Neji asked, pulling on a grey shirt.

"Will you ever… love me?" Emi asked, looking him directly in the eye, her voice stronger than it had been before. Neji stared into the deep mix of green and brown, and blinked.

It was enough of an answer for Emi and she smiled. Neji bent, scooped up her clothes from the floor and threw them onto the bed.

"I have a feeling," Emi said brightly when she was dressed. "That today is going to be a good day."

With that statement ringing in his ears, Neji left the room, slamming the door. Everyday that Tenten was not with him was a day that he was driven closer to insanity.

----x----

And, just like that, three years passed, without a word from Tenten.

Hinata sent out an invitation to her for her marriage to Naruto. Tenten would have been one of her bridesmaids, alongside Ino, Sakura and Hanabi. Ino also sent out an invitation to Tenten. She would have been a bridesmaid also.

Tenten had no input to name the next generation of shinobi in their Rookie Nine 'family' and the children were all named Uchiha Chikako, Uzumaki Daiki and Nara Oki- who styled her hair like her most favourite kunoichi, Temari (much to her mother's chagrin) and, of course, to Emi's smug surprise ("See- I told you that I met them!" she bragged to Neji. He simply said, "For their sake, I hope they don't remember it.").

A kind of truce had been drawn up between Neji and Emi. He agreed to teach her to fight on the condition that she did not exploit the opportunity to make romantic advances on him and that she was polite to everyone he knew, and must never enter a certain room in the (formerly owned by Tenten) apartment. They shared a bed (for there was only one bedroom in the apartment), but it never went further than just sleeping. In their entire relationship, they had only ever kissed once and Emi knew that he would only kiss her once again when it came to the marriage ceremony.

Their relationship was somewhat awkward and stilted because they had nothing in common. It was a kind of grudging acquaintance on Neji's side, and Emi felt that 'unrequited love' was what was going on from her perspective. It was a strange game that they played: constantly trying to close a gaping rift between them but it seemed to only fill with fake bridges that would burn and crumble in an instant.

It was exactly three years ago, to the date, that he and Tenten had left to go on their holiday. Neji decided that, on the same day that Tenten had left him three years ago, he would go back and say goodbye to her in his own way. Emi thought it was a romantic idea to go on a holiday to a beach house (Neji hadn't told her the real reason why he wished to go back) and excitedly agreed to come with him for the three weeks.

----x----

"Wow, Neji! This place is so awesome!" Emi squealed as she explored the massive beach house.

"Hn," Neji muttered, not really interested. He watched as Emi ran up the stairs and into the beautiful bedroom.

Emi's initial reaction at the walk in wardrobe was pure and utter bliss. They didn't have one at their (that's what she liked to think of it as) apartment, so she could imagine living here for much longer than three weeks. But, as she turned on the light inside, she found that there were still clothes on the shelves. Clothes that had belonged to a woman.

"Tenten," Emi breathed, cursing the name. She hoped she never had to see her again. Whenever Neji got drunk (which was on a specific date each year – Emi never figured out what was so significant about it, but she knew it wasn't his birthday because his birthday was in July), he would rant on and on about her beauty, her kindness, the way her hair shone, or the deep way that her eyes could express every emotion and thought, and the way he had seen into her soul, and she into his, and how on that mission, they had been doing this, and there was a moment when they just had a charged moment, where they connected and the chemistry between them had been… amazing. Emi got very sick of every third word being either 'Tenten' or 'love' or 'soul' but it was amusing that Neji got very reminiscent when he was drunk.

"Don't think about her like that," Neji said softly, and Emi jumped. She could never get used to it and she knew that it always reminded Neji that _she _was not _Tenten_- the only woman that he'd ever love.

Emi had grown so much in three years. She was not as childish- she was more mature and her beauty had fully blossomed but the fact that she was already engaged to Neji disheartened many males in Konoha and many other villages, who in fact, offered very hefty sums for her to come and leave Neji, and join their prestigious clan.

But Emi held firm- she never left Neji's side and diligently kept up her fighting. She was currently learning how to do some complex move Lee had taught her. She had adopted a kind of walk that emitted grace, allure and was ready at any instance to shift into a kind of stance that could leave anyone on the ground in less than three seconds. Every time Neji fought with her though, he always compared her to Tenten- she would have done this, or she would have said this, or she would have avoided that one easily but he never told her. She already knew.

"What are you going to do with these?" Emi asked, breaking Neji's thoughts.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to keep them?"

"I guess so. I'll wait for her to come back and I will give them to her."

"Why? She's probably started her life again somewhere else, as far away from Konoha as she can get," Emi said, instantly regretting her words.

That night, Emi and Neji were trying hard to talk about something positive and non abraisive, sitting on a couch and drinking red wine. They were failing miserably.

"Why do you hate me so much, Neji? Why do we always say hurtful things, hidden under these fake conversations and cause each other pain continually after three years?" Emi asked, sniffing a bit. Neji turned over and looked at her, gently turning the ends of her golden locks in his fingers.

"I don't hate you," Neji said softly. "I don't think I could ever hate you, now."

"Why?" Emi asked her heart jumping and her stomach fluttering.

"Because… we're only human, right?" Neji smirked. He placed the glass on the table, and Emi lowered her eyes. She could hear it in his voice- he had lost hope for Tenten…

"Emi," he said softly, taking the glass.

----x----

That night, he dreamed of Tenten leaving the safe security of his arms for the last time, and he watched as Tenten quickly dressed, and slipped the bangle over her left arm. He watched as she kissed his seal, and then his lips for the last time, and watched as she said, "I love you, Hyuuga Neji," for the very last time.

It was too much, and Neji woke up, breathing heavily. His eyes travelled down to Emi's form, sleeping contently, half draped across his chest, her lips grazing his skin. He slid out of the bed, and quickly went over to his suitcase, and pulled on a jumper and left the house. It was still dark when he left, but it was dawn when he got to the beach.

--------

Three years had passed since Miyako's initiation. She was now a woman in her mid twenties, her hair was down to her shoulders, and her skin was golden brown from the constant sunshine.

"One more time," Hiroshi snapped tersely. It was eight o'clock at night and they'd begun at one in the afternoon. Miyako felt tired but she could easily read Hiroshi's signs without looking- his heart rate was up, but his muscles were straining.

Smiling, Miyako shut her eyes, broadening her mind and senses, breathing deeply. At once, she fell into a meditative trance that made the senses of the human body fade away. Of course, she could often meditate while consciously acting in her body as well, but that was a different story.

Hiroshi had taught her everything he knew- which was far from limited. As well as having power over all of the elements, he controlled the inner diamond but had no control over life and time. But Miyako had been secretly reading all of the books in the library- so she had limited powers of healing and premonition. She'd studied the processes of resurrection… but it could only be done if the victim had just died and she'd had no contact with dead creatures as yet.

Miyako was engulfed in a dome of elements- most of them trying aggressively to harm her. Miyako concentrated, and there was a sudden calm in the inner recesses of her mind, and she opened her eyes. They turned pitch black. There was a ripple in the air and the dome was obliterated in its wake with Miyako at its core.

Then tiny tendrils of metal and water crept into her hand, blending with the fire and lighting in her palm. She clapped her hands together and twisted them into complex shapes and finally held them together at her waist, like she was clutching onto a hilt of an invisible katana. Hiroshi watched as it became all too real, and flicked out his hand, a katana coming instantly into his hands.

She smirked at him and they began to spar, Miyako leaving hundreds of thin cuts on his skin. Hiroshi was the weaker, slower swordsman- and Miyako fought with an effortless grace.

"You're getting too good for your own good," Hiroshi said, panting as they concluded their session later.

"Hiroshi- don't even try and lie- I was better than you from the start!" Miyako laughed and re-tied her hair, missing the cold look flit across Hiroshi's face. "So what's for dinner tonight?" she asked him as they walked back up to the house.

-----------------

"Hey, Hiro?" Miyako asked softly, touching his shoulder. He turned at the sound of her voice, and smiled. They'd finished dinner a few hours ago; he'd thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Hey, Miya," he greeted her, kissing her gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "I was wondering…"

The phone rang, and she waited patiently for the caller to hang up. However, they seemed to talk for a very long time about business and the economy and Miyako sighed when he finally hung up.

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I was wondering… if we could go to the mainland, again, this weekend."

"This weekend?" Hiroshi echoed. "Why?"

"Well, Hana's birthday is coming up- I wanted to go in and see if there was anything to buy her."

"There's nothing more she needs," Hiroshi dismissed the issue.

"Listen," Miyako snapped. She slammed her hand against the table, unintentionally releasing a small breeze from her palm. "I don't care. It is her birthday, and I am going in, whether or not you like it. I did exactly the same for everyone else, and she's turning twenty one! You are so…" Miyako growled, feeling frustrated beyond words. "You don't know me! You control me- don't think I can't feel it because I can! I will leave tomorrow whether or not you like it so-"

"Fine," Hiroshi said breezily.

"What?" Miyako said dumbly.

"Go," he said. "I don't care- if you want to go, go," he waved his hand. "Is there anything else I can do for you, my dear?"

Miyako sighed.

"You could leave this musty old study and come to bed," she said crossly. She sighed, however, when he did not follow her.

-------

The next day, the weather was horrible- lightning and churning ocean greeted her eyes when she woke and Miyako frowned, feeling the bed beside her. It was empty. Again.

Miyako stepped into the study silently, fury bubbling up in her chest.

"Miya? What do you want?" Hiroshi didn't look up from his work.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she demanded, waving at the window. "You created this storm so that I wouldn't leave the island! What is wrong with you? You've been keeping such a short leash on me ever since my initiation and I feel like I don't even know you anymore! You haven't talked to me properly in months! Even when we're together… you never say a word to me, and you can't look me in the eye any more!" she said, slamming her fist on the table, her eyes a deep black. "There's something wrong, so spit it out!" she willed him to meet her eyes, and he did.

"If you want to go so badly," he said matter-of-factly, "Stop the storm by yourself. See if I care. You're nothing without me, so don't even think of trying to run away."

Miyako froze just before she left the room.

"Why would I do that?" she asked quietly. She turned around, but Hiroshi had gone, and she sighed as she left the house.

She walked down to the docks, the wood groaning and the brine sloshing up on her feet. Miyako took a deep breath and stilled for a few moments, trying to find calm inside her mind. She opened her eyes once again and spread out her arms, feeling the tingle of chakra in the air as she concentrated on the movements of the storm. Everything was completely unnatural about it: the wind directions were wrong, it was completely out of season, and it was all being fuelled by people- four sisters, to be precise.

Miyako cursed. Hiroshi had forced them to create the storm! She needed time away from all of the dark corners in the house. She'd realized that there had been so many empty spaces in the house that had been so far away from her concept of 'home'. Hiroshi could hardly look her in the eye anymore and the sisters had grown cool and distant towards her, and she felt so completely isolated- emotionally and physically.

It was time to leave, Miyako decided. "I can't take this anymore…" she whispered and manipulated the seals in her mind. Her hands outspread, marks as dark as ink moved across her skin in a fluid motion- they slid down from her shoulders to her fingertips and she vanished.

Hiroshi watched her and sighed as she disappeared. He turned and faced his sisters.

"What do we do now?" Akane asked.

"We'll tell _her_," he said quietly. "Tenten is returning soon- and we'll need to get her back."


	10. Welome Home

**E2: Looks like this one could be a bit longer, ne?**

**So, read, review and I do hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

**Chapter Ten: Welcome Home**

Miyako walked along the streets and quickly found the place she was looking for- an inn, one with a respectable image and reputation. She had conjured up an emerald green hooded cloak, changed her appearance, and entered the building, ringing the small bell at the desk. A young girl with blonde hair arranged her room and Miyako paid her some money, once again, summoned from somewhere else- Hiroshi had never told her, but he'd only said it was from a vault but hadn't specified which one.

"Thank you," the teenager said, handing her the change and key. "Dinner will be served at-"

"I'm eating out, thank you," Miyako cut in, and smiled. She walked to her room and sat down on the bed, feeling rather at a loss. She needed to think about what she'd do next- would she return to the island? Would she do as Hiroshi had said, and run away?

Miyako paced the room impatiently and kicked up sparks with her shoes, a million thoughts roaming her mind- one of them being the difference in time. It was past sunset on the mainland, but morning on the island- what was going on?

Finally giving a frustrated groan, she changed into a rose pink singlet top and jeans with a snap of her fingers and removed her cloak. She untied her plait of corn yellow hair and ran her fingers through her locks, turning it a jet black, and made her eyes bright blue. Pulling on a black jacket, she left the inn and the door chimed as it shut behind her.

She was fuming inside. Some part of her said that she should go back. He was her husband, her family. But… that had not been the way that she'd felt these past eighteen months. He had left her in almost every way. Just like she'd been some tool for him to manipulate- she'd danced for him, been by controlled him… and for what? She didn't know for the life of her…

The young woman entered a bar and sat down, massaging her temples as her new jet black hair fell across her face, layered and long.

"Rough day?" A man asked, taking a seat beside her. She smiled.

"You don't want to know."

"Try me," he challenged her and she flicked back her hair, hearing the catch in his breath as he saw the colour of her eyes.

"I'm Daisuke," he said, offering his hand. She took it, shaking it.

"Miyako," she smiled back.

"So, Miyako. What brings you to this part of the coastline?" Daisuke looked around the trendy bar and at the panoramic view of the ocean. Miyako looked out- the sky was kind of cloudy, the island a few kilometres away and shrouded in mist. She shivered.

"Nothing in particular," she smiled. "Just… taking a break."

"Oh, really?" Daisuke inclined his head. "A break from what?"

"Everything," Miyako leaned back on the counter. "I've just come from a place of complete… mystery and isolation- and I've broken free of my gilded cage."

"A poet," he murmured, and Miyako smiled.

"No," she said, "It's just something I heard a long, long time ago."

She was silent for a moment, turning to her new companion. He had brown eyes and chocolate brown hair that was short and spiked neatly.

"So, do you want to tell me about your day?" he prompted.

"I just did," she smiled, fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket.

"May I buy you a drink?" he asked, motioning for the bartender to come over.

"Sure," she nodded.

---------------------

Miyako and Daisuke left the bar a few hours later.

"So where are you staying?" he asked her, drawing her close to his body.

"Mmm… I'm in the inn on the main street," she replied, pointing. "Right there."

"Do you want to know a secret?" he asked, pressing his lips against her ear.

"What?" she smiled looking into his eyes.

"I think you're beautiful." He said softly.

"Thank you," she smiled sadly.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"No. I just…"

"Let's stay out a bit longer. There's somewhere I want to take you," he took her hand and led her through the village to a club. It was almost eleven and the line extended behind the block. They were given immediate admission, much to Miyako's delight, and her thoughts faded away as they danced.

-------------------

Five hours later, Miyako sat on the sand, laughing to herself softly. As the night had progressed, Daisuke had become bolder and bolder, kissing her repeatedly and his hands roaming freely around her body. She had, of course, retaliated and sent sparks jolting down his spine, but he'd been too drunk to care. Then he'd tried to get her to invite him into her room, and then tried to get her to go to his house but she'd seen fit to just knock him out on the spot with a lot more energy to spare.

"Pretentious git," she muttered to herself.

She got up, and stumbled slightly, still inebriated. It seemed like she'd gotten herself more drunk than she'd liked to admit. She ambled along the beach, the surf nipping at her feet, numbing them.

She stumbled, her foot cutting on a shell. And then strong hands gripped hers. Miyako looked up, taken aback in an instant. The young man who had stopped her from falling… His eyes were infinitely sad- and Miyako's heart broke for him, whoever he was. Then, she realized the peculiar hue of his eyes. They were white.

His eyes lit up upon seeing her.

"Tenten!" he said hoarsely. "Tenten- is that you?"

"I'm not Tenten." She said, standing properly.

"You're drunk," he said irritably.

He leaned in- he couldn't help it- and then felt an excruciating amount of pain in his head- it rivalled the pain experienced when the curse seal was activated.

"Tenten…" He gasped, and gathered his strength, and delivered a Jyuuken hit to her chest. She slumped forward, coughing up blood.

And that triggered something within her.

The black colour bled from her hair, leaving it brown and suddenly lifeless. She looked up at him, wiping the blood from her mouth, her eyes brown once again… glassy and blank. Neji shivered.

"Tenten," he murmured. "Tenten," he placed his hands gently on her shoulders and drew her close. "You're back."

"I don't know who you are," she said blankly, and Neji held her an arm's length away.

"Tenten? It's me, Neji."

She shook her head.

"I don't know who you are!" she cried frantically and tried to push him away, but found she couldn't move. She shut her eyes and found the problem- her tenketsu had been shut in some places, so she used her mind to ease them open once again. Neji activated his Byakugan and his eyes widened in shock when he saw what she was doing.

"Tenten?" he whispered. "Who have you become?" He thought of all of those times they had shared: as Genin, Chuunin, and Jounin- the times they had shared as team mates, friends and lovers… a thousand memories passed through his mind, and into Miyako's. She fell to her knees, her mind overloaded. Tenten's memories- _her mind_- was trying to take over, but that would leave all of Miyako's memories behind… everything in her brain going back to normal- and she didn't want that.

She met Neji's eyes, her own flickering with a million memories and he suddenly couldn't help it- he kissed her on the lips. He couldn't control himself. His heart was ripping from being so close but so far away from her.

Every cell in Miyako's body seemed to explode. She was complete now, she knew it. Everything fell into place. She was Tenten… and she was Miyako. Time would tell who she would become… but for now, for Neji… she would be the kunoichi who had stolen his heart.

Neji sighed. Her lips were sweet, tasting of summery cocktails with a darker tinge of blood, and just having her in his arms was just as intoxicating. Tenten smiled.

Neji almost died, but he was alive- more alive than he had been for the past five years. He was pushed over the brink of sanity, and Tenten was bringing him out of a downward spiral which led to madness.

But it was a contradiction, hypocrisy, only pretence.

Every moment of it was also an eternity of excruciating pain and soul searing ecstasy. Every sensation was heaven but also hell. Every heart beat was one that brought them closer to death but they were only alive because of this one other human being. It was bittersweet and short lived, for the kiss brought back Tenten's memories – the rest of them. The moment when they had first met, the moment when they had first kissed, the moment when they had both been so complete and whole that they had never wanted to be any further apart than they were ever again, and the moment when they had both simultaneously ripped each other apart and she left him.

They broke apart, but only barely. Tenten's faintly shaking hands were around Neji's neck and Neji's slightly trembling hands were caressing Tenten's face- like they were so used to.

"I love you," Neji said, his lips brushing against Tenten's with each syllable. Tenten's knees buckled and she broke down and cried for so long on Neji's shoulder. She cried for the time that they lost, the fact that they still loved each other, and for everything they had hoped for, lost in one instant.

She met his eyes yet again and there was a flash before her eyes. Hyuuga Hiashi… sleeping… and within his dreams, a murderer killed the Hyuuga's free spirit. She saw him write a note with his eyes closed, his head lolling like a broken puppet's and she sobbed. Behind him, Hideaki Hiroshi appeared and he smirked.

Then the images were gone. Tenten was left standing in Neji's embrace, her mind reeling with shock. Of all the things to see…

"Tenten…" Neji whispered.

"Neji," Tenten whispered back. "I didn't know. I never knew," she babbled.

He caressed her shoulders, and they realized that she was both Miyako and Tenten now, changed.

"Neji I need to talk to you…" she whispered. "I …"

"Neji?"

Tenten stiffened. It was another female voice.

"Neji… what are you doing down here?"

Tenten quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and held on to Neji, as if she could stay in that way forever with him.

"T- Tenten?" Emi stuttered, catching sight of the brunette in Neji's arms.

Tenten thought that she was seeing Asuka.

"Asuka?" she said flatly. She had the same fairy-tale princess kind of hair and long lashes that framed her beautiful hazel eyes. She was completely beautiful, and she knew why Neji could love her in a way that he had never loved her.

"My name," said the Asuka-look-alike proudly, "is Takumi Emi and I am going to have to ask you to get away from my fiancée."

Tenten ignored her and looked up into Neji's eyes, a mixture of stormy grey, silver, and lilac, and knew she was home.

Neji knew what she was thinking and murmured softly in her ear, "Welcome home, Tenten." Before gently letting her go, with a gentle look in his eyes that shot envious pain into Emi's heart. Neji had never looked at her like that! And why was Tenten back all of a sudden? Why were they looking at each other like that?

Emi calmed down. They only had a few months left before she and Neji would be finally married. Nothing this little drowned looking rat could do would sabotage her carefully laid plans.

Tenten met his eyes yet again, Emi vanishing from her line of sight.

"Neji," she said, and suddenly sensed a kind of… wrongness within him. "I need to talk to you," she said, her voice quavering.

Regardless of the unsettling difference in him, Tenten did not look away from Neji's eyes, her mind reeling from the so many memories that were flooding into her brain. She was mesmerised. She felt that if she left him, then everything would just go away- and she didn't want that to happen, fiancée or not.

Neji could not object when Tenten just kept staring into his eyes, like she had not seen them before, and could not help but just gaze back, trying to sift through the emotions in her eyes. The most alarming thing of all was the indecision in her eyes- a … blankness, almost like she was not whole, like there was a vital part of her that was missing and had been for so many years. Neji did not realize it then that it had been him.

Emi glared at the two of them, silent and breaths in sync. They had completely forgotten about her!

Neji's eyes began to roam around Tenten's body. Her skin was bronzed and a few freckles adorned her cheeks, but she'd lost weight- he could see that her curves had been slightly reduced. She seemed so… fragile. Neji mentally smirked- if he had said that to her, she would have done something to make sure that he took it back and never said it again. A moment later however, a fierce desire- a fierce _need-_ to protect her surged through his body, sending tingles to his finger tips.

Neji's eyes continued their observations. The most noticeable change of all however, was her hair. It no longer fell in beautiful, silky cascades down to her waist but was short and spiky, falling to her shoulders. The Hyuuga touched it.

"It's different," he murmured hoarsely.

"I hate it," Tenten replied, surprised by the hatred in her own voice. It was… just spreading through her body and made her vision blur. "Well, I like it a little," she said before she could snatch back her words.

Neji looked once more in her eyes, saw the utter hatred, and frowned. These past three years had changed her more on the inside than it had on the outside, he supposed.

Emi smirked. Tenten was a basket case! She'd have no trouble keeping them apart.

Tenten just kept thinking about what Hiroshi had done and she swore to avenge Hiashi's death, and the time that she and Neji had lost- the life that they had lost. This time, her vision blurred with tears, dizziness swept over her, and her knees buckled once more.

Emi watched as Neji smoothly gathered the kunoichi in his arms in one motion, his left arm behind her back, and his right arm hooked comfortably behind her knees. Tenten murmured something inaudibly and snuggled closer to his chest, sliding her arms around his neck like it was something that they had always done. Emi could only feel that feeling in her stomach – the feeling one gets when they are plummeting straight into the ground.

Once the trio arrived at the beach house, Neji quickly placed Tenten on the bed in the main bedroom and helped Tenten take off her clothes which smelled of smoke, alcohol and sweat and change into thicker and warmer pyjamas, drying her hair with chakra-heated hands. When he was done, Neji pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and murmured softly in her ear. Tenten smiled sleepily and nodded. Her breathing deepened and slowed as she drifted to sleep peacefully.

**Next chapter: 'She Talks to Angels'**

**Tenten needs someone to be nasty to, but Lee will be coming back in (Yay!) and the kids. You have to love the kids.**


	11. She Talks To Angels

**E2: Nothing much to say… it's been edited, etc.**

**Well, my computer screwed up on me, and I had to rewrite my ENITRE CHAPTER! Of course, this one had to suck entirely. It's not fair.**

**Chapter Eleven: She Talks To Angels**

"What are you going to do next?" Emi asked Neji as he came downstairs into the kitchen.

"I… don't know any more," Neji confessed.

"What were you doing down at the beach?" Emi asked.

"I… went to get some air."

"You went for a walk with that dress?" Emi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I wanted to…" Neji glanced away, and Emi felt her temper burning up again.

"You're never going to fully trust me, are you?" Emi demanded.

"I have a reason."

"What is it, then?"

"Tenten."

"What about Tenten?"

"She… changed me. I can't let myself get attached to anyone now, not ever- not even in marriage."

"But… a relationship is based on trust- if I can't trust you to trust me, then where are we headed in this? We're going to be married in twelve months… what can I expect from you? What can our _children_ expect from you, Neji? Will you always be dreaming of what could have been with Tenten? Will they have to compete with her? Will they have to wonder why their father is never home, and why he'd always be training with another beautiful woman?" Emi demanded, slamming her hand on the wooden bench top.

Neji stared at her hand.

"It's only... because we have to. Sometimes, we have to lie to ourselves," he said, and walked away.

Emi blinked and was startled to find tears on her cheeks.

----x----

Tenten had heard the exchange between the couple and knew she had to leave. She had to go back to Konoha, get her things together, and then… what? Go back to her apartment and …? Go find the Hokage and tell her what had been happening? Talk to Lee and Gai-sensei? Find Sakura?

The kunoichi had a vague plan lined up in her mind. She resolved to leave as soon as possible- which would probably be in a few hours after she'd had a nap or woken up from it. Tenten marvelled at this new sensation of her mind being able to consciously think while her body rested, while still being completely and totally aware of what was going on around her. Maybe this was what it felt like to be a cat- they slept for so long everyday, but seemed to just jump into action in an instant. She'd never experienced anything like this on the island. Maybe Hiroshi had suppressed that. Tenten mentally cursed. Her mind just kept spiralling back to Hiroshi and then what he'd done to Hiashi. Well, that and that awesome mind blowing kiss.

Just the memory of it brought an ache to her fingers and numbness to her lips- she ached to have Neji here with her. Her senses went into hypersensitivity and every thing around her just… amplified. Tenten smiled, deliriously happy despite her situation.

After a while, the kunoichi stopped thinking and her mind napped along with her body while still managing to keep track of time around her. Exactly three hours later, Tenten regained her awareness of where she was and she knew that someone else was in the room, standing a few metres away from her- and it wasn't Neji.

"It's rude to stare you know," she said clearly.

Emi blushed. Both she and Neji had that annoying knack of knowing when someone else was in the room.

"It helps to keep us alive, you see," Tenten said as she sat up, stretched and yawned. "What can I do for you?" she asked pleasantly, rubbing her sleep tousled hair.

"Um… I came to ask you… something," Emi mumbled, sitting on the bed opposite her.

"About what?"

"Um… Neji. And you. "

"Aren't you guys married yet?" Tenten acted surprised, remembering that she hadn't meant to be hearing their conversation earlier.

"No- but we will be in a few months."

"Ah… I see. So what was it that you wanted to know about Neji and me?" Tenten asked warmly, sensing no harmful intent about the younger woman.

"Um… how long have you known him?"

"Hm… let's see. I knew him from the academy- so that was from the age of… 5? So I guess it's been 17 years now."

"Seventeen?" Emi echoed. That made no sense.

"Oh- actually, since I am … twenty four as of a few months ago, I have known Neji for nineteen years actually. I only became… friends with him, if you can call it that, when we were assigned to the same genin cell. If you count from then, it's been twelve years I guess."

"Oh… okay- and how long did you know him before you knew that he liked you?"

"We were… nineteen. Or something close to it. But I think he told me once he was sixteen when he realized he liked me; nineteen, and it was love," Tenten said, struggling to remember slightly. Being close to Neji had helped to regain some memories- but there were still other ones missing, including some concerning their relationship.

"Three years…" Emi muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Emi said quickly, looking away.

"You waited… three years," Tenten said, wonder present in her voice. "You waited three years because you wanted Neji to fall in love with you, didn't you?" Tenten asked, and Emi knew that she wasn't accusing her of anything.

"I did. I guess it was all just a dream, I guess. A dream about being in love."

"Why?"

"Because he still loves you- he'll never stop."

"Never stop what?" Neji asked, leaning in the doorway. Emi jumped and Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Don't play the innocent one, Neji. It doesn't suit you," Tenten said arrogantly. Neji shrugged, smirked, and Tenten rolled her eyes. "You never change," she muttered under her breath.

"And neither will you," Neji retorted.

"I've changed more than you'll ever know," Tenten growled. Neji rolled his eyes and looked at Emi, who had been feeling forgotten in the entire exchange.

"Fine then. Emi, I have to talk to you," Neji said, walking downstairs. Emi bit her lip and followed the Hyuuga back down to the living room. Tenten quickly left the bed, changing in a blink.

"It's time to go home…" she murmured to herself.

"Why?" Neji asked, beside her ear.

"Still keeping up that habit?" Tenten turned around. "You scare Emi every time you do that, you know," she said, changing her clothes.

"Well, a leopard can't change its spots," Neji quoted and Tenten rolled her eyes.

"This one did," she muttered, holding up her palm. A small ball of fire began to glow merrily before winking out of existence, just to demonstrate her point. Neji gaped. She had changed in the past three years- and Neji wondered if it was for the better- or worse.

"Don't worry," Tenten smiled. "There are two of us to deal with now," she tapped her temple. "But I'm working on it."

Neji frowned. Who had she become?

"We need to talk, later," she whispered. Not now, she meant. Not here, with keen ears.

"I think…" Tenten said slowly as she and Neji stood at the front door of the house. "I think… it would be better for us… not to…" Tenten looked down, and Neji grabbed her hands.

"Tenten- you were my friend before we fell in love- and I will always be your friend, okay? So there's no reason to stop talking to you, to stop training with you, to stop doing missions with you," Neji replied firmly.

"I just think Emi would sleep a lot easier," Tenten did not look him in the eyes. Neji gently cupped her chin in his hand and raised her face. Two tears had escaped from her eyes and were trickling down her cheeks.

"I know I wouldn't. Take care, Tenten. I expect to see you back in Konoha when I return in three weeks- don't disappear on us again," Neji said gruffly, and hugged Tenten gently.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on going anywhere but home," Tenten smiled and waved as she walked down the steps of the house.

----x----

Tenten walked down the main road that led to the main district of Konoha. She didn't plan on leaving it for some time- especially since it took her to the Hokage Tower. She passed so many familiar faces- Ayame, at the Ichiraku Ramen store, asked her where she had been for the past three years; Narikio Lee asked her how she was, and how things were going- had she heard from Neji? Tenten only smiled and nodded, saying that she was busy at the moment but promised to talk later.

Tenten was suddenly at a loss- should she go to the tower or should she go back home, pick up a few things, change, and then go report to Tsunade? Tenten was pondering what to do next when something collided with her leg.

She looked down. A dark haired girl with blue eyes stared defiantly back up at her with four ponytails in her hair, sticking out at strange angles. She looked around the age of three.

There were other children playing with her, apparently around her age also- a blonde boy with white eyes with a foxy grin on his face and a second girl with jet black hair that was short and spiky with a strangely hued pair of jade green eyes that were clear, but also mysteriously unknowable.

"Hey!" yelled the first girl she had tripped over. "Watch where you're going!"

"Hey!" Tenten mimicked. "That's my line!"

She looked at the small boy with the white eyes- eyes of a Hyuuga.

"I have a question to ask you. I want to know where someone lives," Tenten said, crouching down to their level.

The boy snickered in response and grinned slyly.

"Who is it- Sasuke? Are you a fan girl? I have bad news- he's already married…" he sneered.

Tenten rolled her eyes.

"For your information, I went to their wedding," the kunoichi sighed. "There is a reason I am asking _you_, my friend, is because he is most likely a relative that you know."

The child nodded, with pride evident on his face.

"I'm looking for Hyuuga Neji- have any of you heard of him?"

The three laughed loudly.

"Hyuuga Neji? You're asking us if we know _Hyuuga Neji_? He's like an uncle to all of us!" the blue eyed girl said.

"Well, he actually _is _my uncle," muttered the young Hyuuga.

"Anyway, he is our 'uncle'- although we think he's downright stupid to be all depressed about getting ma-" the young girl who had collided with Tenten's leg was silenced by her other female companion.

Tenten noticed the red and white fan insignia on her sleeve. It was Sakura and Sasuke's first born daughter. Sakura must have been happy. So would have Ino and Hinata of course.

"Who are you?" the young Uchiha asked politely.

"I'm Tenten," Tenten replied, smiling.

"Tenten? _You're_ Aunty Tenten?" Shikamaru's daughter asked.

"Yes," Tenten said defensively. "Why?"

"Because Tenten was beautiful and she had beautiful long brown hair. Your hair is short- almost as short as my mother's used to be."

"Hinata-chan grew out her hair?" Tenten asked, surprised.

The blonde nodded.

"And why do you style your hair like Temari? Does your mother mind?" Tenten asked, grinning.

"Yes. She tells me to take it out but I don't."

"Why do you style it like that?"

"Because Temari-san is my most favourite kunoichi in the world!" she declared.

"Even better than your own mother?" Tenten asked, smiling. She knew that this one would become even more of a handful when she hit puberty. The kunoichi turned back to the Uzumaki.

"Can you show me where Neji lives?" she asked directly. The three nodded and scampered away. Tenten followed and they arrived at Neji's door. Tenten felt like it had also belonged to her- she had lived there, too, she remembered suddenly.

The kunoichi placed her hand on the lock, manipulating the metal within it in an instant.

"Nee-chan! That was so cool!" declared the blonde and Tenten whirled on her heel to face the children.

"Before I let you into my… Neji's house, I have to ask you what your names are," Tenten said, smiling. It felt good to smile.

"Uzumaki Daiki." Tenten nodded.

"Uchiha Chikako." The young girl's green eyes shone with pride.

"Nara Oki." Tenten patted her hair.

The kunoichi could see all of the children's parentage immediately- they all had their mother's eyes, but their father's hair, and a mixture of facial features.

The quartet entered Neji's apartment and, for a minute, Tenten felt like she was seeing double.

The room as it had been the last time she had been in it flashed into her mind- on top of the royal blue paint on the wall, covering the warm colours that had been enhanced in summer; the classic style black leather couches stood in the place of her comfortable chocolate coloured suede chaise. Sitting on that chaise, in her memory, was herself- on Neji's lap as he tickled her ruthlessly and Sakura listened in, puzzled, on the other end of the phone.

The kunoichi blinked, banishing the image from her head. She didn't need them- not here.

"Tenten-nee-chan?" Chikako's voice broke Tenten out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"What's behind this door?" Oki asked, pulling on Tenten's hand. "Daiki said he can't see through it, and Chikako said she can't pick the lock."

"I think… it's something special there," Tenten said. "I'll look in the bedroom."

Tenten walked further down the corridor and went over to the left side of the bed- she instinctively knew that Neji had slept there. She quickly opened the bottom, thicker drawer and removed the false bottom, grabbing one of two elaborate and ornate silver keys, and a silver photo album and frame that she carefully placed into her bag. The kunoichi placed everything back into the drawer, exactly as she had found it and left the bedroom.

She quickly inserted the key and it turned in the lock smoothly.

"What's in there?" Daiki asked.

"Weapons," Tenten stepped into the room and hidden lights turned on, illuminating the red panels on the walls.

"There's nothing in here!" Oki exclaimed.

"That's only because you don't know how to look," Tenten pressed one of the panels and some other panels on the other side of the room opened up, revealing a wicked collection of several different katana.

"Have you used each of these?" Chikako asked, fingering the blade.

"Yes- I made them all," Tenten's eyes clouded reminiscently. "And fought with each one."

"Why are we here again? You can't just carry around thousands of weapons." Daiki scratched his head.

"I can," Tenten pressed another panel and a set of apple green scrolls on a block came up from the ground.

"This is so cool!" Oki said, doing a cartwheel down the room.

"Stand back at the door please," Tenten instructed and they obeyed.

Tenten unravelled the entire length of the scroll and spun it delicately around her like a gymnast, with the same effortless grace and ease. All of the weapons in the revealed panel disappeared as did all of the other weapons in the room. Several symbols appeared on the scroll. The scroll ravelled itself tightly once more with a snap and Tenten snatched it out of the air.

"We're done here," Tenten said lightly, stepping out of the room- causing the lights to turn off. She left the door open in the 'study' and scribbled a note on the phone pad by the kitchen.

"I dropped by and took my weapons and a few other things. Sorry Neji. Don't worry about my clothes- I don't need them (I'll buy new ones!). Tenten?" Oki read out. "That's a bad sounding note!" she laughed and Tenten shrugged.

"I don't care. I have nothing to do with this place anymore," Tenten popped the lock's catch behind her. "Come on, time to leave."

The three children filed out of the room and Tenten snuck one glance back at the apartment- the one that she had been so proud to buy so many years ago. It had been her home, but it was no longer hers; it was Emi's. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes and she blinked, shutting the door, making sure that none of the three saw.

"Where to next?" Chikako asked curiously.

"I want to go and see your mother. Could you please take me there?" Tenten asked, a smile on her face once more.

----x----

Tenten slid out of her shoes and placed her bag by the door. Sakura was standing just on the side of the door frame, her hair and eyes still as bright as ever.

"Tenten… I- I'm sorry," Sakura murmured.

Tenten's smile was now sad.

"You don't have to be," she said gently, and Sasuke thought from the shadows as he watched the two kunoichi hug each other in a sisterly fashion.

"I have so much to tell you," Tenten whispered. "It's about… where I've been," she sniffed.

"And I have things to tell you, too," Sakura said just as quietly, then said brightly, "Why don't you go and have a shower, and I'll make you something to eat. You can stay here for as long as you need."

Tenten nodded and followed the other kunoichi to the bathing area of the house, a servant trailing behind them, carrying Tenten's bag. Sasuke stepped out of the room, relieved the maid of the pack, and followed the women, taking Sakura's hand without a word.

**Aww… Sasuke's nice! Anyhow… what did we all think? Review please, and it'll be the best birthday present ever**


	12. Revelation

**E2: Blah. Read. It's edited. **

**Anyhow… yes- the thing with Tenten and the kids did happen with Emi, as well. Weird things like that happen in their world, especially when I get involved. This is strange. Onward!**

**So, read, review (any accepted) and enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve: Revelation**

Tenten stepped out of the shower, toweling her hair dry. She was getting used to shorter hair, once again she remembered bitterly, and changed, normally this time- she was completely exhausted. She glanced in the mirror as she walked out. Her eyes were still red rimmed- Sakura would pick up on that. She ran her hand over her eyes, soothing them immediately, and left the room.

"Tenten-nee-chan!" Chikako pounced onto Tenten's leg.

"You know, I am older than your mother," Tenten smiled down at the girl with raven hair.

"I heard you were staying here for the next few weeks!" Chikako said, jumping up and down.

"Yes- well, until I find a new house. Would you like to help me?" Tenten asked, crouching down to Chikako's level.

The young Uchiha nodded proudly, and hugged Tenten- one that Tenten returned with some surprise. Chikako seemed very serious and shy to begin with, but seemed to open up without the other children. It intrigued her.

"Chika… are you bothering Tenten?" Sakura asked humorously.

"No- I'm fine. She's very sweet," Tenten smiled fondly at the child and she entered the brightly lit room. It opened up on one side to a beautiful garden that the house centered around.

"Why don't you go outside and play with Oki and Daiki?" Sakura asked her daughter.

"Yes- I just wanted to see if Tenten-nee-chan was okay."

"Why do you ask that?" Tenten curiously asked the child.

"Oki said that you were sad about leaving the apartment," Chikako replied before cheerfully skipping outside, joining her friends.

She sat down on a white futon on the cream tatami mats in front of the coffee table.

Both she and Sakura sipped at the fragrant jasmine tea, neither saying a word.

"They are extremely perceptive," Tenten said, finally breaking the silence.

"Well, they are the children of the legendary Rookie Nine of Konoha," Sakura smiled faintly. "But it has been feeling empty of late, Tenten," she said heavily. "Where have you been?"

"Do you remember how Neji and I went on that holiday? Down at the beach house?" Tenten asked.

Sakura nodded.

"I was on an island, three kilometers off that coast. You can even see it," Tenten sighed.

"What?"

"What has Neji told you?"

Sakura quickly recounted the story that Neji had told her and about what Temari had said to her on the phone. Tenten sighed and put down her empty tea cup.

"The night before the mission, I had a dream that this guy came in and… assaulted me in my sleep. I woke up, and there were bruises on my wrists and blood in my nails. I didn't tell either of them what it was about but… when I was on the mission, he attacked me. He found me and came after me. I thought I killed him, and then I met up with this guy called Hideaki Hiroshi. He took me out on a date- to some weird coffee place- and then the first man was there. He told me that… Hiashi was dead and that Neji would have to get married to someone else. I stabbed him and ran back to the beach house and when I did, I found that Hinata hadn't called yet- so I still believed that he had been lying. But yeah, you already know the rest of it.

"Then afterwards, I left the house, and chucked my bangle into the ocean and I felt really dizzy, and yet like there were bricks in my head, and I fell asleep, even though I had just woken up," Tenten looked down and Sakura poured more tea into the china cup.

"What happened next?"

"I don't know. I woke up in a bed on an island- and Hiroshi was there. He said that we were married."

She paused, giving some time for Sakura to laugh but she didn't. To her, marriage was a serious matter.

"And then… everyone in the house seemed to be in on some big secret- and I was the only one who didn't know. There were these four sisters in the house, too- Asuka, Akane, Hotanu and Hana. They said that they were Hiroshi's sisters. And then… after a few weeks… I was 'initiated," she paused, rubbing her shoulder blades. Sakura wondered what was there.

"It was more like branding me," Tenten spat. "And then, for the next three years, I believed him. I was Hideaki Miyako and I was married to Hideaki Hiroshi. But then, as they trained me in my powers, they grew distant because they knew I had the power to obliterate them, regardless of my lack of experience.

"And then, I had a dream one night. I was swimming in the ocean and the tides kept pulling me to the reflection of the moon, and I knew I had to go back to the mainland- something was happening. It was Neji…"

She smiled sadly. "And I didn't know him at first. I thought he was just some random stranger with heartbreaking eyes. He kissed me… and everything came flooding back- all of it," she stared unseeingly at the garden.

"Sakura… what's more is that Hyuuga Hiashi didn't die in his sleep- he was murdered in his dreams by Hiroshi. He killed his free will first and made him write the will before killing everything in his mind," Tenten shut her eyes.

"How?" Sakura fiddled with the hem of her kimono. "How do you know this?"

"Because I can see through time- both past and future… but this one only came because of Neji."

"What else did you learn?" Sakura asked after a tense minute. She poured more tea.

"They seemed to be doing this all for me- like I was so special or something. He kept talking about these powers that I had," Tenten sipped at the tea, and Sakura was silent.

"What powers?" Sakura asked.

"Powers over everything- elements, the mind and soul… over time," she whispered.

"What are you going to do next?" Sakura asked, wiping away her tears as she magically procured a box of tissues from somewhere.

Tenten waved them away and gingerly placed the small cup of tea on the table.

"I am going to go and get everything in my life back in order and see a few people," Tenten said.

"Like Tsunade?"

"Yes, and also Temari and Hinata," Tenten rose quietly.

"Can we come?" Sakura asked, standing also.

"Sure," Tenten said, feeling warmed on the inside- she would be glad for the company. They crossed through the central garden and left the estate, the sky sprinkling lightly. The kunoichi got her bearings quickly- they were on the other side of Konoha from where she had lived with Neji and 30 minutes away from the Hokage tower.

Well, she thought smugly as they dropped from the last roof top and sprinted up the stairs, 30 minutes to walk, anyway.

The trio walked through the familiar corridors and Sakura waved to a few people she passed. One of them was Shizune- and she recognized Tenten.

"Tenten? Is that you?" asked the woman.

"Yes," Tenten replied shyly.

"Where have you been for the past three years? Everyone has missed you so much!"

"I was on an island," Tenten said quietly and slowly.

"Um… sorry- what?" Shizune rubbed the back of her head. "I'm not sure if I heard properly…"

"I said I was on an island. I've come to see Tsunade-sama. I wish to call a meeting, of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai- and their sensei," Tenten said, walking down the corridor, trailing behind Sasuke and Sakura- one of the model couples of Konoha with the trophy to prove it.

"Sakura-san! Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?" someone asked. Tenten smiled. She knew that voice. She turned around the corner and Lee caught a glimpse of his life long friend.

"T… no, it couldn't possibly be," Lee shook his head.

"Lee- you're such an idiot, you know!" Tenten said tearfully as she ran into the room and was embraced fondly by the one whom she thought of as a little brother.

"But you're not so little anymore, Lee," Tenten whispered. Her head came up to halfway between the top of his shoulder and elbow.

"You look so different! I didn't recognise you!" Lee said, putting her down. "Your hair! And your eyes- they're so different! And you look absolutely stunning!" he twirled her around, and Tenten laughed happily. She had missed so many things about the people here in Konoha.

The kunoichi stilled when she looked at Tsunade and Naruto standing beside her chair.

"Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun," Tenten murmured respectively, bowing her head.

"Tenten-nee-chan!" Naruto greeted happily, waving. "Why have you come back to see Tsunade-baa-chan?" he asked, ignoring the daggers that Tsunade was pointing at him with her eyes.

"I've come… back. For good, but I have some things to say. I wish to call a meeting for the Rookie Nine and their sensei, and the sand siblings," Tenten requested, looking directly at Tsunade.

"Come to the meeting room in one and a half hours," the legendary Sannin replied. Tenten nodded and left the room, Sakura and Sasuke in tow.

----x----

Neji looked out the window at the ocean. It was calm- contrary to his feelings on the inside.

"Neji? Are you okay?" Emi asked.

"I'm fine," Neji replied tersely.

"I just can't help but feel that… you're distancing yourself from me," Emi said. She had learned that it did you no good to hide your thoughts from him- it would only widen the rift between them.

"When have I ever been closer to you than I am now?" Neji asked, a dry shot of humour in his voice.

"Neji, please- can't you talk to me? I am sick of being the one who always has to reveal myself- why can't _you_ open up to me? I know I am not Tenten, but… I want to know who you are. I _need_ to know who you are," Emi said, finishing on a quiet note.

"Do you really want to know who I am?" Neji asked, his voice low.

"Yes. I have been waiting, Neji," Emi said, expelling a breath timidly.

"My father died when I was four and I tried to avenge his death by killing my cousin at the age of thirteen. I was defeated by Uzumaki Naruto in the Chuunin main matches, and he changed my view on things. When I was sixteen, I became a jounin and I still did missions with my team. When I was nineteen, I realized that I was in love with my team mate, Tenten, and at the age of twenty-one, I became engaged to Takumi Emi," Neji said hollowly, and leaned against the windowpane. From those words, his life sounded utterly pathetic.

"That… is not who you are," Emi protested.

"Who am I then?" Neji asked icily.

"You are… Hyuuga Neji. You are a gentleman. You have the driest humour I have ever seen and are extremely overprotective of those you love. You are honour-bound… by your words, and…"

"Do not presume that you know me, Emi," Neji said, silencing her with a single glance. He suddenly wished that the three weeks would be over so that he could see Tenten again. But then again, with each passing day came that specific date. The wedding was coming closer and pretty soon, he'd have to start preparing.

--------

Tenten looked around the room. it was filled with so many familiar smiling faces- including Hinata, Kiba and Shino (who wasn't smiling but his face was still familiar), Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Anko (for some reason), Temari, Gaara (who, similarly was not smiling, but he was also a familiar face), Kankuro, Tsunade and, strangely enough, Hanabi.

"Everyone…" Tenten said clearly, once everyone had settled down. "I have called this meeting to tell you about what happened to me in the past five years, and what I have found out. It relates the most to Hinata and Hanabi, but I wanted everyone to know- and no one else, other than you…"

The kunoichi recounted the events of what had happened five years and one day ago, leaving out the details about her and Neji's relationship. This time she did not cry. It had gone beyond her- and it was now her duty, as a kunoichi, to inform the other shinobi, her _family_, of her ordeal, to gain their perspectives and their views on her situation and what to do, where to go next. They were the centre of her life. They formed, in essence, the compass of her journey- but there was one missing. In her speech, that was all that she thought about. The face that had been imprinted in her memory. The lips that had always so passionately met her own. The hands that had caused her to feel so much pain in battle, but pleasure in love. The fathomless eyes that had seen into and branded her heart and soul as is own, and she the same.

"Hyuuga… Hiashi was murdered," Tenten's voice wavered, thick with emotion. "He was forced to write that will… and soon after, murdered in his sleep," she could not look at Hanabi and Hinata. It was too painful.

"That is all I know… and I don't know what to do now…" Tenten stepped back, her head bowed and Ino hugged her gently, briefly, her tears staining the yukata that Tenten wore. The kunoichi only then stole a brief glance of the Hyuuga sisters. They were both crying silently and hugging each other.

"But… we cannot stand around and cry. We don't have the time," Sakura said loudly. "We have to do something about Emi. She's not who she says she is. We have talked to the head of the Takumi clan and he told us that Takumi Emi is dead and has not existed for three hundred years."

"What?" Tenten said dully. "I thought she was someone else- she looks exactly like Asuka, one of the sisters in the house."

"But how can that be possible? She could not be in two places at once and you cannot dream and be awake at the same time," Temari said, cracking her knuckles. She was still more than a bit miffed that neither she nor Kankuro had found anything about her supposed impostor.

"You can… if you're a Hideaki," Tenten said, wishing that she had said nothing.

"How about you go back to the place and try and remember everything?" Anko suggested.

"I remember everything I need t," Tenten shuddered.

"What will we do about Emi? Will we tell Neji?" Hanabi asked.

"First, we wait for them to come back to Konoha," Tsunade said.

"What about… their marriage? Will it be annulled?" Tenten asked quietly.

"If there is enough evidence, then it would be considered by the Hyuuga Elders- I have no intervention in that matter unfortunately," Tsunade said.

"But that information that she is a fraud- isn't that enough Hinata-chan?" Ino asked.

"I don't know what to do anymore," Hinata said. Naruto rubbed her shoulder and she leaned against his.

"First we wait for the couple to come home. Tenten should try and get everything back in order again. No one tells Neji about any of this- what he would do is unpredictable, especially since we don't currently know where the five are," Shikamaru said, knowing that everyone would trust his judgment.

"What do we all say then, when Neji asks us where Tenten has been? It's hard for her to lie convincingly to him… I mean- it's hard for everyone to lie to him," Kiba said, shooting an apologetic look at Tenten.

"Tenten- he trusts you," Chouji said, from the shadows. "Whatever you say to him, he will believe you, but tell him the truth- tell him that you don't know, and that you're going to work on trying to get everything back together," he said wisely.

"How about those five people?" Sakura asked.

"Leave them…" Temari cracked her knuckles. "…to us."

"I want them back alive if you find them," Tsunade demanded.

After another hour of discussing plans and similar things, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone went their separate ways- with the exception of Ino, Sakura, Temari, Hinata and Hanabi.

"You are a better person than Emi," Hanabi said bluntly. "I don't like her one bit. She annoys me. She's weak, even if she can fight. After three years, she can't compare to you, and everyone knows that Neji-nii-san compares her to you in his heart. He thinks about you often and it hurts her."

Hinata sighed. Her sister was often blunt like this- but she had moments of such craftiness and tact that she was an entirely different person.

"What did they do with your hair? I bet Neji must have touched it when he first saw you. It's the most drastic change I've seen in you… apart from your eyes," Ino said.

"They originally shaved it off. Completely. I think I cried and yes… and what is wrong with my eyes?" Tenten said, not quite angrily, but still slightly offended.

"Nothing…" Ino said.

"They're different from when I last saw you," Temari finished. "They don't… sparkle? They used to always be bright, and young. Now… it seems so… sad. You should get some happiness back in your system. Let's go out tonight," she suggested and Tenten rolled her eyes.

"You know, the three of us are married with kids. Hanabi is the only one for whom it is socially acceptable to actually go out clubbing or something like that," Hinata smiled wryly. "Not everything can be solved by going out, getting drunk and hooking up with some random guy, Temari. Speaking of which… how are you?"

Tenten lost focus on what was going on and her eyes seemed to haze over. Suddenly, she saw Hiroshi in the room.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"Well… just take a look around," he said, gesturing to the girls. Everyone was still.

"No… you never could control time," she breathed. "None of you could."

"Ever thought about that sixth person, with eleven seals?" he asked, sitting next to her.

Tenten stood.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You read those books, didn't you?

Tenten suddenly understood.

"Temari?" she whispered. "She wasn't real? It was someone else?" she remembered a name that had been said. "Tetsu." She breathed.

"That is correct, more or less," Hiroshi steeped his fingers and looked at her. Tenten quickly punched him and pinned him down to the seat with a huge shuriken she'd summoned.

"What are you doing here, you bastard? It's obvious that you need me for something because you have sought me out only two days after I left you. _Tell me!_" she shrieked.

Hiroshi smirked at her. He clicked his fingers and disappeared.

"Tenten? How did you get there? Where did that shuriken come from?" Sakura eyed her friend warily.

"Hiroshi!" Tenten growled.

"What?" Temari demanded.

"He was here!" Tenten said. "He came to me and said…"

"It's getting a bit repetitive, Tenten," Ino said lazily.

"Shut up. You have no idea what I have been through," Tenten said quietly.

It was in that instant that she knew that the world as she knew it had changed. Some fragments still existed, but… she had vanished for three years without a word, and life had gone on without her- and they had become used to it.

Tenten looked at her old friends and sensed their thoughts. They believed her and supported her, but it seemed too much like a coincidence.

"Just… forget it. I'm going… for a walk," Tenten stood and left the room.

"It's pouring outside…" Ino muttered.

--------

Tenten left the tower and did not try to escape the rain or take shelter. She took off her shoes and felt the mud between her toes. The kunoichi walked barefoot to the old meeting place of Team Gai. It was the same place that Lee had gone to before his operation and where they had all explained their dreams and hopes, with, of course, the exception of Neji.

Sniffing, she lay back on one of the stone benches, not feeling the cold or anything else for that matter, as she fell asleep.


	13. Almost

**E2: Blah. Edited, etc.**

**Ahem. Read, review- and I sincerely hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Almost.**

Tenten's mind began to swirl, aching with the amount of information that was being filtered by her brain. She could sense emotions, lives, thoughts, dreams, movement in the seemingly stationary night, apart from the rain.

"Tenten!" Sakura sprinted up the stairs, two at a time. She knelt by the chair and placed her hand on her forehead. It was cool and clammy along with the rest of her skin. Sakura sighed and picked up her friend from the bench.

A few minutes later, Sakura entered the Uchiha household with Tenten in her arms. Sasuke felt them enter and quickly instructed Chikako to find some towels and warm water.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped, placing Tenten on her bed in the guest room.

The Uchiha gathered up some blankets from the linen closet and placed them on the foot of the bed. Chikako entered the room with the towels and a servant behind her carried a bucket of warm water.

"She's burning up," Sakura said, placing a hand on Tenten's forehead.

"But she feels so cold!" Chikako said, rubbing her 'aunt's' hand.

"Mmm… that's because she stayed out in the rain for too long without shoes and an umbrella," Sasuke said, his arms crossed as he watched the two.

"It's something more than that," Sakura muttered.

"What do you mean?" Chikako asked.

"There's something wrong with her… chakra. It's cloudy, like there are too many things everywhere."

"Cant you fix that?" Sasuke asked.

"I have an idea," Sakura replied, smiling grimly.

----x----

A few minutes later, Hinata and Ino walked into the guest room. Sakura stood up from the chair she had been sitting in and Chikako protested sleepily. Sasuke, muttering that it was no time for her to be awake, picked her up, carried her to her bedroom, and read her a bedtime story.

"What's wrong with her?" Hinata asked.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Sakura replied wryly.

"What happened?" Ino took a seat at the foot of the bed.

"She ran out into the rain and I found her half an hour later. Her skin was cold and clammy. Now her forehead's burning up, and she's not responding to any treatment that I apply," Sakura explained, rubbing her temples.

"There's some abnormality with her chakra," Hinata commented softly.

"It's cloudy. I sensed that, too," Sakura sighed.

"I'll try and see what I can do. Watch over my body for me…" Ino said, quickly forming seals. She slumped over moments later and the other two kunoichi sat and waited.

----x----

Ino was lost in a cacophony of colours and it was making her head ache. Worse still, she could find no way of making Tenten's body wake up and respond to her commands.

"Tenten? Are you still in here?" Ino called out to the swirling mass. She heard someone crying and turned towards the sound. Tenten sat in (literally) the corner of her mind, crying.

"Why are you still here?" Ino asked kindly.

"Why are you here at all?" Tenten looked up, wiping her tears away.

"We were worried about you," Ino replied. "Why is your mind like this?" she gestured to the colours.

"Because… I'm here," Tenten whispered, and shuddered.

"I know- but what does that have to do with anything?"

"These people… the memories in my head…" Tenten paused. "There's conflict- I'm Tenten… and I'm Miyako- the woman who was a part of the Hideaki Clan. I can't control anything and I'm starting to receive information… about people all over Konoha… and it just hurt me so much, and I wanted to just curl up and hide until it all went away."

"Why are you doing this?" Ino demanded angrily. "The Tenten I knew would not give in to the pain! She would stand there and bear it, and fight it!"

"That Tenten is gone," Tenten looked up at her with soulfully dark eyes that glimmered with some unidentifiable emotion. "She is gone… without him," she whispered, and turned her head away from Ino. "Leave me," she said, and vanished.

Ino warily took a step back. This was getting way beyond her abilities. Hopefully, Tenten would wake up- and remember nothing.

----x----

Nara Ino woke groggily, her vision still spinning. She sat up and looked around. Sakura had slumped down on to the bed by Tenten's right hand, and Hinata by her left. Tenten herself seemed to be sleeping perfectly fine. She was no medic or Byakugan-wielder but somehow, she knew that Tenten had healed herself- at least enough for now. The entire process would take many years. She had seen victims of amnesia in her lifetime and sometimes, they never regained their memory so they were only a mere shell for someone whose soul had died.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven o'clock. At that moment, Chikako ran into the room, and pounced on Tenten, waking everyone else up in the process. Tenten sat up and drew invisible weapons, then the dreamy veil fell away from her eyes, and she registered the child sitting on her lap.

"Good morning, Chika," she smiled, and looked around. She frowned, as if remembering something, and looked Ino directly in the eye. Ino met her stare and a mutual understanding passed between them. Neither would speak of the incident to anyone.

"Chika!" Sakura said sharply. Chikako climbed off the bed and stood still, her shoulders drooping. "It is very rude to wake people up like that. What if Tenten had been injured? You scared her half to death! What if she had been hiding weapons, and really stabbed you?" she reprimanded her child and sent her away to "think about it". Hinata checked the chakra flows in Tenten's body, noting nothing abnormal, and Sakura performed a quick check-up. There was no sign of a fever or cold- the kunoichi seemed now preoccupied with something else.

"Thank you all… for caring. But I think I'd like to be alone for a while," Tenten smiled and the three women returned the expression of gratitude and left the room. The kunoichi left the bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom, and stared into the mirror. She looked no different on the outside, but she knew that something on the inside had changed. It wasn't her body either- it was her mind and soul. She had changed- but she was serene. Everything would be fine- she'd found her place between Miyako and Tenten, becoming both and merging.

Tenten distractedly left the room and walked to the garden, her thoughts traveling to the moon and back. The kunoichi sat down on a rock and tried to empty her mind.

Thinking about thinking… heard everyone's thoughts again- like she had with Emi. It seemed like everyone had locked their minds from her on the island. She stood still for a few moments, listening to her heart beat, slowly breathing in and out. The world around her turned still and black. A rush of words entered her mind and she tuned them out, trying to find a certain person's thoughts. It was similar to reading chakra signatures, and she came across a single line of coherent words that felt like they belonged to Sakura. Indeed, there seemed to be two streams twisted together- but they spoke one at a time.

Tenten bit her lip and withdrew from the trance like state she had been in.

There were obviously some moral issues that came with her… gifts and she knew she'd have to train. Maybe she could ask Neji for assistance- he and Hinata could somehow read each others thoughts, and the Byakugan's insightful abilities could read thoughts, memories and emotions. Maybe that would help. Maybe she was just thinking that to try and find a way to see him again.

Sighing, Tenten got up and entered the house once more. It would be busy for the next few weeks.

----x----

Neji woke from strange dreams and looked down at the sleeping figure beside him. It was their final day here. They would be leaving after lunch and arriving in Konoha around sunset.

"Emi," he said softly, propping himself up on one elbow. "It's time to wake up."

Emi rolled over, into the curve of his arm.

"I don't want to leave," she said sleepily. "It's been so relaxing to just stay here and not have to do anything…" she rubbed her cool cheek against his smooth skin and Neji abruptly sat up, moving away from her. Emi sighed and lay on her back. Neji was not comfortable with her touch- even after that night. He hadn't touched her since.

There was also another reason why she did not want to return to Konoha- Tenten would be there. Tenten was a threat and close to Neji's heart. That made her a danger to her carefully laid out plans. No one else had expected Tenten to return. Emi had hoped that she would never see her face again, but alas- Fate had another cruel twist in store for her.

----x----

Life went on, a semblance of normality settling around the kunoichi of Konoha. Tenten found a beautiful terrace house. It had three levels- not including the flat roof that had a filthy glass panel in the centre, which she knew she could just sit and gaze at the stars on summer nights. Lee, Kiba, Shino and Chouji had all helped her move her new possessions into the house, and everything was now in place.

A trip to the bank a few weeks ago had told her that her bank account (with compound interest) now contained a hefty sum- one that raised her eyebrows and sent tingles of joy shooting through her body. She, Sakura, Hinata, Ino, Oki and Chikako had all gone on a house hunt, and they had come up with a unanimous decision- the terrace house was the right way to go.

It was inconspicuous at first and almost boring. Upon closer inspection, the six females had entered the garden, finding a wild kind of beauty in the garden. Inside the house was another story. It was dusty and cluttered with old furniture that had been covered with white sheets. Some of the rooms, such as the lounge, opened up with sliding rice paper screens- and the strange combination of both modern and traditional features of the house appealed to the kunoichi, so she signed the cheque and the house was hers.

It had taken a week to move everything out of the house, air out the musty smell, and clean both sides of the window in the roof. They had decided to keep some furniture and throw out some other bits. Tenten had planned everything out- the ground floor would be the kitchen, laundry and living area (the bathrooms were already installed), the first would be her "study", like her old apartment- but bigger and even better, and the second would be her bedroom and bathroom. The garish and girly wallpaper had been stripped, revealing a smooth whitewashed wall beneath but it was quickly painted over with a colour called "Vanilla Frost". It was slightly neutral but brightened up the entire room in the light. She liked it.

She had pulled all of the weeds out of the garden, replanted some newer, brighter plants and (with the help of the others) given the outside of the house a new coat of paint, along with the shutters.

Tenten sighed and stretched out on the mat on the floor, slowly twisting and turning her body into elaborate shapes. She had found that yoga helped to meditate – rather than just sitting there and doing nothing. As she moved, she felt energy course through her body and moved serenely with the flow. Her mind seemed to stretch and grow as she stared unseeingly at the surrounding area – in her head, she only saw blinding white around her that faded back into black and she could sense other people nearby, combined with reality so she could envision these people in their homes, going about their daily lives. It was the strangest sensation she'd ever felt. It was like there was just too much to absorb, but somehow… not enough. Maybe, she thought, this was what it was like to have the Byakugan- to be all seeing and all knowing in an instant of everything around you. Omnipotent.

Bathed in the light of the afternoon, she continued her exercises for an hour until she suddenly felt a few new presences enter her mind- it was Emi and Neji. Curiously, Tenten drew closer to the source, finding that they were at Neji's apartment (she couldn't bear to think of it as _their_) and Emi was feeling tense and worried about something… to her shock, Tenten realized that Emi thought that she was a threat.

Guiltily, Tenten turned her attention to Neji. She could visualize the pair in the apartment and Neji was reading her note. He turned, looked directly at her, and activated his bloodline limit- he knew that she was there. Tenten quickly focused her eyes and stood still, focusing her mind as she closed her eyes.

_Tenten? What are you doing?_ Neji asked, obviously puzzled.

_I'm not sure. _

_What? Why not? _

_It's something that happened… to me- will you meet me in the park?_

_I don't think that would be possible…_

Tenten felt that Neji was referring to Emi.

_Tonight, then. _Tenten sent what she hoped was the mental equivalent of a smile, and withdrew from his mind.

----x----

That night, at around ten o'clock, Tenten lay back on her cream coloured blanket as she stared out the window at the moon, visualizing a second one beside it. She then looked down at the photo frame in her lap and traced her finger over Neji's face. After a few moments she fell asleep, and mentally woke in a kind of misty park. It was Neji's dream.

"Neji?" Tenten called out. "Are you here?"

Neji stepped out of the shadows, seeing Tenten clothed in a pale green, gossamer-like dress, and the mist seemed to cling to her skin. Her hair was long and lustrous once again and it was almost like no time had passed between them. Almost.

"Tenten," Neji breathed, and his breath came out in a cloud, causing Tenten to shiver lightly.

"Couldn't you dream of something else?" Tenten asked wistfully. It was very cold here. She, of all people, knew how real the dream could be to the mind.

"No," Neji said softly. "Watch." He instructed, and pointed. Tenten stood at his side and waited. Suddenly, she saw herself emerge from the mist, holding hands with Neji. She looked at the real Neji, who had a faraway look in his eyes, and felt the familiar ache of tears.

"Neji," the old Tenten said. "I love you," she said, as they stopped walking. She leaned into his shoulder, and smiled serenely.

"Tenten…" Neji said softly. "Will you marry me?" Tenten looked up into his eyes, knowing that he was deadly serious. "You… complete my life, and I could not have it any other way."

Tenten jumped into his arms, her kiss every answer that he wanted to hear, and he slid a ring onto her finger.

They faded away, and Tenten's tears fell into the dewy grass. Neji drew her close, and she stood silently in his arms. They held on to each other, and it was almost like the time when they had been together. Almost.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Neji asked, his voice rumbling like thunder in his chest.

"So… many things," Tenten sighed.

"How about we start with where you were for the past three years?" Neji suggested, and they began to walk through a completely different landscape where they had been only moments ago. Tenten looked around with interest and with a pang in her heart, she realized that they were in their training grounds in an eternal afternoon kind of sunshine. But she knew that it was only within his mind- and heart, too. She bit her lip as they sat down on the ground in the shade of their favourite tree. Neji remembered every detail of it- down to the feel of the bark, and the smell of the sap.

She rested her head on the trunk of the tree, careful not to touch him. The fact that he was still engaged loomed between them and the silence seemed to stifle her senses and her mind.

"You still haven't answered my question," Neji said casually, but Tenten caught the underlying thoughts in his mind. He was also thinking about something else- but she could not read past the first layer of his mind. He was obviously making an effort to not think about it consciously, although it still troubled his mind.

"I was… married…" Tenten said slowly, and Neji froze.

"Who was it? Why did you leave him?" Neji said, and she could feel the anger rise to the surface of his mind.

Tenten was silent and looked away. That was all the answer he needed.

"Tell me," Neji said softly. It was similar to the calm before a storm. "Tell me who it was, and I swear I will make sure he will never see the next light of day."

The heat from his anger seemed to scorch her mind. She could taste it and smell it- it tasted and smelled like acrid, burning metal, and made her throat ache.

"I already have, Neji," she lied, surprised at the pain in her voice. "He no longer walks in our world."

"He? Who was it?" Neji asked again, grabbing her shoulders as he pulled her to face him. Tenten stared into his eyes, and it was every answer he had not wanted to see. She couldn't tell him with words- it was too painful.

"How long?" he said, his words barely audible.

"It was… three… years."

His chest heaving, Neji placed his forehead against hers, and whispered gently, "I'm so sorry, Tenten."

"What for?" she mumbled, her heart fluttering.

"I… it was my entire fault. If we had never-"

"You told me once," Tenten interrupted, "that if you had never met me, you would not have lived long enough to become the man you became. Look forward and travel through life with no regrets, Neji," she said firmly. She shrugged his hands away and turned back around, leaning against the tree once more.

Neji slid his arm around her shoulder and moved closer to her. Tenten bit her lip and turned her head away.

"It's been too long, Tenten," Neji said, and his breath was warm on her skin. "It's been too long without you here with me. Just stay like this, and we can…" Neji stopped.

"Pretend?" Tenten finished for him, plucking the thought out of his mind. She also saw the memory of a conversation he and Emi had, based around the same word. "Pretending is not good enough- and it's not right… not like this," she said, sighing. But she did not move away, and they pretended that it was just like old times. But they knew it was only, and almost, a dream.

Neji fingered the ends of her hair.

"Why is it like this?" Neji asked, curiously.

"Because it is how I want it to be. I don't want it to be a constant reminder of…" Tenten shut her eyes and Neji rubbed her shoulder gently, soothingly.

"How come… you can come to me like this? Are you…?" Neji tensed, and Tenten read the thoughts streaming through his mind.

Tenten shook her head.

"It's not like that… when I was …" Tenten deliberately skirted the word. "He trained me. He opened up my mind, made me capable of doing things I had never dreamed of before."

"Tenten- do you have any idea what the mental repercussions on that is? You could have developed a complete split personality. Your mind is obviously fragile and shaken since returning to Konoha and you can talk about it so casually? Why do you open your mind up to others?" he demanded, tilting her chin so she stared into his eyes.

"Don't you think I don't know that?" she slapped his hand away and stood up, backing into the light once more in the middle of the field. "I know it hurts- and it almost kills me sometimes! I know the aftershock and everything else that comes before it! I try and I try- but nothing can take it away!"

"Why?" Neji said, softly.

"Because it takes away everything. There is no longer any Tenten- there is only one mind out of many and I have the power to help them," she said, averting her eyes.

"Why? Why do you want to help them?"

"I don't know."

"Why? They don't understand you- I can see that. There is so much pain and doubt in your eyes, Tenten, and it hurts to see you like that…" Neji trailed off as he stood up.

"Everyone else thinks that I should just move on with my life, and everything will settle back down like it had three years ago, but it won't! It never will be the same again, not for me!

"The entire village- they just think it's such a big coincidence or it's just so unfortunate, but they avoid me anyway, like it was such a big disease. I've become a outcast and no one cares anymore!

"The girls are all busy with their kids, and everyone else is settling down, and finding that one special person that they will spend the rest of their life with- and don't you think I want that? I want it so bad that I cry over it, every night because I know you're with _her_, and counting down the days until you're married and I know I can do nothing about it! Even when I saw you- you smelled like _sex_- you'd slept with her that day, I could even _taste _her on your skin!

"And then…" Tenten took a deep breath, and did not notice the sky rapidly darkening with clouds. Neither did Neji. "And then I feel so sick of crying! And I ask myself time and time again why I just can't stop these stupid tears, and then it all comes down to the fact that I fell in love with you- and it has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do to just to think about you, and seeing the way that _girl_ looks at you!" Neji walked up to her, wanting to just do something to make her stop talking, ripping his heart to pieces every time she said a word.

Tenten shrieked and slapped him away yet again. The rain began to fall from the sky and it was shockingly cold.

"Neji …" she sobbed. "I am so sorry… I can't- _we _can't do this. It hurts too much and we both know it! But know this… please, Neji – just stop loving me, okay? It would be the best thing to do…" the rain was soaking her clothes, and her hair clung to her skin as she turned away. Neji grabbed her hand, and tugged her to him.

"What about you?" he asked gruffly, his breaths coming out in small white puffs. "What will you do?"

Tenten was crying again and she stared defiantly up into his eyes.

"I don't know what I will do," she said weakly.

"Just promise me one thing," Neji said strongly.

"Anything…" she whispered in reply and Neji kissed her.

It was just the same as the one they had shared on the beach and in the house on that last night. Everything rational in their bodies screamed that it was wrong but they only knew one thing- the fierce, sensual feeling of their tongues just dancing in a terrifying battle that combined with the feeling of their over heated and over sensitive skin in the cleansing, pure rain…

They pulled away and Tenten pulled herself out of his grip, placing one hand on her heart and the other on her mouth. Neji could see that her eyes were clear with anguish, and sorrow that matched his own.

"Promise me that you'll be happy?" Neji pleaded.

"I can't," Tenten's voice broke. "I can't promise you that," she backed away and disappeared, fading out of his mind, and into the real, waking world.

----x----

Tenten rolled over. A stray tear rolled down her cheek as she opened her eyes.

"Neji," she whispered.

----x----

Neji woke and Emi rubbed his arm. She had heard him struggle in his sleep and knew that his dreams were very troubled indeed. Neji slapped her hand away as he bolted up in bed, his eyes seeing only Tenten's eyes, filled with misery and despair, and he rubbed his hand over his sore eyes, and left the bed without an explanation to Emi.

They both stood in front of the window and touched the glass pane, looking out onto the world outside, and knew that no matter what they said or did, they had just lied to each other. Tenten knew perfectly well that Neji would never stop loving her, and Neji knew that no matter what, Tenten would never be completely happy with the new life that she would lead- the path that he would not be able to walk beside her.

**I just realized- this story is the biggest telegrapher I've ever read! I mean, it seems like everything's just mapped out from the beginning, you just might as well shoot them anyway… geez. **


	14. Catalyst

E2: done. Read. Promise of a happy ending, etc.

**Chapter Fourteen: Catalyst**

The day passed at a painstaking crawl. Emi seemed tense and stayed by Neji wherever he went.

"Neji…" Emi touched him tentatively on the shoulder. Neji turned around, staring down at her. "So… I was thinking, maybe tonight…"

"I have a mission," Neji interrupted. "I just got a message from the Hokage, and I need to go," he said, leaving her standing in the doorway without a proper goodbye. He never even said her name, afraid of what he'd say. Emi shut the door behind her, leaning back on the wood as tears streaked down her cheeks.

---------------------------

Tenten stayed inside her new home all day, fixing the hinges on the floor to ceiling windows in the study- they opened up the entire way, and let in the crisp winter air, and opened when a small catch near the glass panels was flicked open and then rotated, causing the glass to do so, too. She took out the rice paper screens on the first floor- her training room- and removed the tracks on the floor with a wave of her hand, automatically lengthening the tatami mats to cover up the floorboards.

With a sigh, she unrolled the white canvas scrolls and began to paint beautiful, elegant scenes of waterfalls and forests, filled with bright, flowing creatures like butterflies and birds in swift, smooth strokes of blue, green, black and red. The panels flowed all around the room in a circle, never knowing where it ended and stopped. Tenten smiled. She liked that idea- but completing it all would take some time, unless...

The doorbell rang with a cheerful trill, and Tenten sighed and tried to detect whose mind it was. It was probably Sakura and Chikako- the young girl loved to help with the decorating. With some surprise, it was Neji and Emi. She placed her brushes in the water jar, and closed the inks. The kunoichi waved her hands and the windows swivelled shut. She took the jar and the brushes back down to the kitchen and tidied up her hair with a bobby pin after they were sitting in the sink. Then she opened the door.

Emi eyed her pale green yukata with distaste, and took note of the sharp pang of ink that was very clear to her senses.

Neji, on the other hand, thought that she looked resplendent in the green kimono and her hair glimmered in the cloudy sunlight.

"Hi… is there anything I can do for you two?" Tenten asked, instantly wishing she hadn't. Emi flinched at her voice, and Neji's eyes had a pained look in them for a split second.

Tenten felt sorry for Emi- she was still, in fact, at heart only a girl even though she was around nineteen. She seemed younger, and so naïve to still believe that Neji could love her- and that she was a threat.

Emi noticed that Tenten seemed completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere, and her spirits sank, all the while resenting Tenten for her ease to adapt to situations casually.

"We…" Neji paused to emphasise the word. "Have a matter to discuss with you."

"Um… okay," Tenten said, puzzled. She stood back, holding the door open. "You can come in… but I wasn't expecting visitors, so it might be a bit messy…" she smiled at Emi as she entered the house with some apprehension, but the younger woman only bared her teeth at her for a few seconds. Tenten did not react and just shut the door, turning on the lights with the flick of a switch on the lounge room. The couple sat awkwardly on the couch opposite Tenten, the coffee table and its large books of beautiful, glossy photos of exotic locations and, Neji noted with a sharp pang in his heart, a large, silver, leather bound photo album that was filled with photos from her Genin days up until now, with a large gap in between. He knew exactly what those photos had been of, and wondered where she kept them now.

"Is there anything you want to drink?" Tenten offered, wanting to break the silence between them.

"No, we're fine thanks," Neji said quickly, and Tenten sighed.

"So what was it you two wanted to ask me about?"

"As you know, we're getting married in a few months…" at this point, Tenten thought of the small countdown she had in her mind. It was pretty devastating, actually. "And, sadly, none of Emi's relatives can come. They've all travelled across the seas and all around the globe, and no one has been able to contact them."

Tenten nodded sagely.

"I see…" Tenten said, getting the point.

"So… we are requesting if you could be one of the bridesmaids at the wedding," Neji finished.

"Neji… are you sure this is what Emi wants?" Tenten said softly, looking at the… girl. Somehow, her mind couldn't interpret it in any other way. "I mean, I know that if there was no other way, you'd ask me for yourself, but our relationship does not exist and I think we both know it- you're better off asking Hinata, Hanabi, Sakura or Ino for this- not me, Emi."

Tenten spoke directly to Emi, simply, without any hint of animosity or envy. Despite her, "I know that you would not wish for me to be an honoured guest in this affair, so I think that it would be best if you reconsider Neji's offer, and choose someone else. I'm sorry- if you wish for some time to think about it, please do so- I'll go prepare some tea," Tenten said.

She stood and left the room, sliding the screen shut behind her to allow for their privacy.

----x----

Tenten drummed her fingers on the kitchen bench as she waited for the water to boil. She caught Neji and Emi's voices- they were rising- along with their tempers, like the water in the kettle.

"She humiliated me- and you don't even _care_," Emi said, sounding hurt. Both Neji and Tenten knew that she was jealous, and they didn't know what to do.

"She wasn't even thinking that-"

"Oh, right," Emi said spitefully. "Because Tenten's so perfect, right?" she spat, and Neji glared.

"Emi…" Neji said warningly.

"What? I don't care," Emi retorted viciously.

"How dare you have the audacity to criticize her in her own home?" Neji said softly.

"Watch me," Emi said carelessly. "You still love her like a lovesick fool- but I will change that, Neji. I will forbid you to see her- and her you, and after we are married, no one in the Hyuuga family will bear with her presence any longer. Do what you want- Tenten will definitely _not _be coming to our wedding, my dear fiancée," Emi said maliciously, and left the house, slamming the door shut.

The kettle whistled shrilly and Tenten brought it off the heat, pouring it into the teapot with the prepared jasmine tea leaves inside. They floated to the top in a perfect circle, and Tenten wondered what it meant as she placed the lid on the teapot and walked outside with the tray.

Kneeling, the kunoichi placed it gently onto the coffee table without a sound or word to Neji- they both knew what Emi had said.

"Tenten… I'm so-"

"Don't," Tenten said firmly as she sat on the couch beside him. "Don't apologize for her actions. If you do that, you'll only be submitting yourself to her will and she won't ever let you forget that," she warned softly, taking Neji's cold fingers into her own.

"I won't be able to stay sane, not being able to see you. And don't say that the dreams will be enough, because it won't- it only makes me want to see you more…" Tenten flinched. She had never seen Neji so… vulnerable. But it was him- she knew that, at least.

"I'm sorry," she said bowing her head. "I never should have left… in the middle of the night- it just seemed like the only thing I could do."

Neji chuckled, and it was a haunting sound.

"Well… we all do stupid things when we're not together, then," Neji said, and Tenten frowned. Emi was having negative affects on Neji- it was the demands that she brought to the clan, and then they in turn (well Hinata, actually, albeit unwillingly) put the pressure on him to fulfil his duty.

"Neji," Tenten said firmly, taking his face in her hands. "Listen. You have to listen to me," she said, making sure he was looking into her eyes. "No matter what, do not…"

"What? Love you? We had that discussion already," Neji said, his eyes sliding out of focus.

"Neji!" Tenten said sharply. "Neji… no matter what- just do not give them a reason to kill you." He didn't need to ask her to know who 'they' were. "They can do it, if she pushes them. Emi is manipulative, and won't stop until she has everything her way, even if it means breaking you away from sanity. Promise me that you won't push yourself to something drastic?" Tenten's voice faded to a whisper.

"Why?" Neji's breathing was harsh.

A tear fell from her eye and onto his hand. The look in her eyes said everything she wanted to say. Tenten's hands shook, and Neji pulled them away from his face as he claimed her lips with passion, then he gently pulled her down so they lay on the couch, and he ran his fingers though her hair, sending shivers through her body.

Tenten's hands ran up and down his body, and he tore his mouth away from hers, latching his mouth, tongue and teeth onto her shoulder that would normally be covered by her yukata, tasting her blood as she moaned in both pleasure and pain.

She kissed him once more, tasting her own blood and, moments later, his as she bit his lip and sucked on the wound. She had never known anything like the light headed feeling she felt now- it was the most exhilarating rush, and she knew that she would never feel the same about any other kiss, ever again. In one dazzling moment, her mind seemed to connect with Neji's as their blood mingled (her mouth had also managed to become cut in the process) and they saw and felt everything that the other did, breathed the same air and thought the same thing as they had for the past three years.

Tenten had gone through an excruciating period of mental abuse, whereas Neji had slowly begun to grow towards Emi…

Tenten started, and all of the ink bottles tipped over, spilling over the scrolls, mixing into a deep, dark black. The kunoichi frowned and the ink vanished.

She looked up and Hiroshi leered down at her. She cursed, throwing a bolt of lightning at him. It dissipated soon after it left her fingers, like the electricity had shorted out.

"Why so violent?" he shrugged, kneeling beside her. "I only came to help," he smiled, and paused. "I like your new hair length. It suits you."

Tenten glared at him.

"I know what you're thinking right now," he said, his finger tracing from her temple to her jaw line and then twined strands of her hair between his fingers. Tenten snarled and pushed him away, but found that she was grabbing at nothing. She regained her balance quickly, her frustration growing.

"Why aren't you listening to me?" Hiroshi asked. "You ran off, and I told you then, and I'll say it again- _you are nothing without me_!" he said, sweeping his arm around him. "Look at what you've returned to! Neji is sleeping with someone else in a bed that you owned before you even became his girlfriend; your friends have started their families with the ones they love, and you… well, you're just the misfit of the village- you vanished for three years, and when you came back everything was completely different."

It was almost like he was reading off a script, and Tenten baulked for a moment, thinking he could see into her mind. Then, rationality kicked in, and she knew he had been watching her for longer than she'd hoped.

"Come on, Tenten- you and me are destined to be together-you're beautiful, sweet, smart, talented… sexy…" Hiroshi kissed her with every word, the sensations all too real.

"You know, I forgot how much of a charmer you were, especially since you had completely abandoned me as your wife," Tenten said cheerfully. "I guess we just weren't meant to be," she sighed.

Hiroshi bit his lip. "Okay, I acknowledge the fact that I didn't give you everything you needed as your husband-"

"You were more like a stranger to me, Hiro!" Tenten snapped, and winced. Miyako's habits were deeply ingrained in her mind, just as Tenten was.

"But I promise I can make it up to you," Hiroshi said, stroking her arm yet again. Tenten rolled her eyes.

Tenten retaliated, opening her mind to him as he made contact with her skin, thinking only of moments of severe and immense physical pain. As expected, he jumped back, his hands clutching at his head, flickering in and out of substantiality until he vanished.

Tenten smiled in satisfaction and locked away all of the painful memories- but it was not without trouble.

The doorbell chimed, breaking Tenten's mind away from her dark and shadowy thoughts.

Tenten's skin became gooseflesh as a chill of premonition washed over her. She shut the windows and scooped up the empty jars and the dirty brushes and deposited them in the kitchen sink, and opened the front door.

"Sakura! Chika!" Tenten said, obviously surprised, and yet relieved at the same time.

"Your… hair." Chika said bluntly, twisting the long silky strands between her nimble fingers. "Is it real? I want hair this long, this quickly! Is it a ninjutsu? It's so cool!" she ranted on as Tenten smiled at her mother over her head, and ushered them both out of the cold.

"Well, sorry, Sakura, Chika- I wasn't expecting anyone to come over, so my house is a bit messy…" Tenten apologized as they walked through the lounge room.

"It looks perfectly fine…" Sakura commented as they sat down in the kitchen. Tenten turned on the warm lights and put the kettle on.

"Back to the topic, Tenten nee-chan! Is your hair real?" Chikako asked.

"Yes, it is," Tenten smiled as she picked up the small girl.

"Is it a wig?"

"No."

"Are they hair extensions?"

"Chika," Sakura said exasperatedly. "It's rude to ask questions like that."

"I don't mind," Tenten said mildly.

"How did you get it so long?" Chikako asked as Tenten put her down to pour the water into the teapot.

Tenten did not answer her, and placed the cups gently on the table- there were three in total. She sat down on the stool, and poured the jasmine tea into the china.

"It's a long story, Chika," Tenten sighed tiredly, and twisted the cup around in her fingers. "Are you sure you want to hear?"

Chikako nodded eagerly, and Tenten sighed once more.

"I'm afraid what kind of danger it would put you in- would they come after you because they knew of what you knew? Would they come after you anyway? Would they ignore you…?"

Chikako frowned.

"You're not making any sense."

"It doesn't, does it?"

"What happened?"

"Too many things, Chika."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because… there are some things that must not be told… because you can never know who is who," Tenten said cryptically.

"Not even Narikio? Or Oki?" Chikako tilted her head to the side, a perfect image of innocence. Tenten smiled slightly, and was reminded of her childhood.

"Why don't you…" Sakura began to suggest, and Chikako scowled in a manner that made her look so much like her father that Sakura laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Do you really want to know?" Tenten asked.

"Yes!" Chikako said as she stamped her foot beneath the table.

Tenten lapsed into a thoughtful silence and Chikako was afraid Tenten had forgotten what they'd been speaking of.

"Is that… you and Neji-nii-san?" Chikako asked as she pointed to a photo frame on the mantelpiece. Tenten nodded.

"If you and nii-san were together before, why didn't you get married?" Chikako asked.

"Well you see, Neji is a part of a noble clan…" Tenten began as she repoured the tea.

"Like the Uchiha?"

Tenten smiled.

"Yes- the other noble clan of Konoha, the Hyuuga clan, and he loves his family very much. So when his uncle died, he left Neji an instruction to marry Emi, and because Neji loves his family and his uncle, he married Emi, or well… is marrying Emi," Tenten explained, in a falsely cheery voice.

"You're a horrible liar," Chikako said flatly.

"Well the point is… we're not married because Neji had to marry Emi- not because we stopped loving each other," Tenten said quickly, and sensed Chikako's triumph.

"I knew it!" she crowed.

"What?"

"Neji-nii-san still loves you, even after not seeing you for three years, and you still love him too! That's so cool! I'd rather you be my aunty than that weirdo Emi," Chikako said, and Sakura clamped her hand over her child's mouth.

"Chika! That's enough! It's very rude to pry into other people's business like that! Just apologize and then sit quietly, or you'll be sent outside!"

"Sorry…" Chikako mumbled, and Sakura took her hand off.

"That's better," Sakura said, feeling satisfied.

"Eh… okay then. Well anyway…" Tenten stared up at the window and thought for a few moments.

"Three years ago," she began. "Neji and I were celebrating our one year anniversary and decided to go on a holiday. While we were there, Temari came to visit us and said she had a mission and needed our help. We helped her, and then Neji's uncle died so we broke up because this man called Hiroshi had told me all of these things before I saw Neji. I left the house, and went down to the beach, and then I fell asleep- but it wasn't… dreaming. It was thick, dark, and murky. But I had no memory of who I was. Hiroshi was there when I woke- he said that we were married. I was initiated properly into their clan a few months after, and I've been living with them for the past three years. But when I went back to the mainland a few months ago, and saw Neji, I remembered everything," Tenten summarised quickly.

"But when I had been on the island, Hiroshi made me a part of his clan, with all of their bloodline limits- it was the strongest of them all- we can control the elements, the way people behave, think, and look and even over life and time. So, they were wiped out because they were dangerous," Tenten paused. "Do you understand?"

Chikako and Sakura nodded, very slightly.

"Sort of. So you just said you wanted long hair, and it grew?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. It's like manipulating time and your body, and then thinking of the effects it creates on that specific part," Tenten explained.

"So could you do it for me?" Chikako asked excitedly.

"No, it's too dangerous, I'm sorry. I don't think I could do something like that, my dear. You're going to have to grow your hair the normal way, I'm afraid," Tenten smiled. "And I don't think your mother would like that."

Chikako pouted, and Sakura sighed.

"Besides, you have the Sharingan," Sakura reminded her child. "That is a very high honour to possess- and so, there are a few things you must always remember about our clan and its history." The mother went on to lecture her child on the history of the Uchiha clan, and about Itachi and how she must never follow his path, etc., etc.

"Yes, mother…." Chikako said in long suffering tones. In fact, the look in her eyes spoke volumes on what she knew- more than enough.

Tenten smiled and yawned, and Sakura picked up on her thin attempt to disguise it.

"Okay Chika, Tenten's tired- we should go now…" Sakura announced, picking up her tired child, and Tenten smiled. She walked them to the front door and found that it was sprinkling lightly outside. Tenten procured a large umbrella from the stand, saying that they could borrow it for as long as they needed.

"Bye Tenten-nee-chan!" Chikako said as she waved. Sakura waved also, and Tenten smiled back and shut the door.

"You know, I had wondered when they would leave," Neji said.

Tenten slowly turned around.

"You know, I had wondered when you would announce your presence," Tenten retorted. Neji was sitting on the suede couch, casually.

"I like what you've done with the place-"

"What are you doing here?" Tenten demanded, and Neji smirked.

"Patience…" he began.

"… Is a virtue. I know," Tenten finished as she sat down beside him. "Why did you come?" she asked softly, but it was more of a rhetorical question. Neji decided to answer it anyway.

"Because I had to come and see you…"

"So did you send Sakura over here as a ruse to draw my attention away?"

"No," Neji said defensively.

"Why did you come to see me?" Tenten asked firmly. "And don't give me a cryptic answer because if you do, I will seriously hurt you."

"I came… because I had to talk to you about… everything."

Tenten patiently sat back, and watched him without emotion in her eyes.

"Well… what happened was that… Emi… when we first met…" Neji cleared his throat.

"Neji," Tenten gently touched his hand. "I have known you for so many years- why are you so… finicky about this? I've never seen you this nervous- spit it out because you're making me worried!"

"Because of Hiashi's death, Hinata needed support from the entire family, and so I stayed back at the compound again for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, Emi's rooms had been placed close to mine, so when I slept on that first night… I wanted you to be there with me- I had so desperately wanted you to be there…" he drifted off, and Tenten's eyes widened.

"YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPING WITH HER SINCE THE DAY WE BROKE UP?" Tenten shrieked.

Neji sighed and shook his head.

"No- I kissed her… Things are still hazy there. Then, I thought that… I'd thought that I could just hate her and get along with life, despite being married- I would do it for Hiashi, Hanabi and Hinata-sama's sake… and your's, too. I wanted to make sure that the promise I'd made to you would last, no matter what. But I think… it wasn't enough. She's somehow… just wrapped herself in my life… and I don't know… but… we did sleep together on that night you came back, and I don't really remember why," Neji thought of Emi, and how he saw her.

He just remembered her being very… sweet and pleasant to him most of the time, even though he never behaved in the same manner. With her sweet, winning ways, her striking beauty and her obvious intelligence, Emi had more than half of the village enchanted- even those who did not know her very well. Yet Neji was troubled to find that she was quick to use her beauty and force of her nature to keep her 'friends' dance in attendance upon her. It was almost like compulsion.

"Do you love her?"

"No… I don't love her, and it's not even close to love or infatuation…"

So charming Emi had grown in her requests, so prettily grateful when they were acceded to, that it was easy to think that it was just a natural desire to please her that drove some people to compete with each other for her favours… but when it came to him, it was a completely different matter. It was subtle but somehow, she always seemed to get something like what she wanted- if not all.

"You keep thinking about her," Tenten said, and there was no note of jealousy or anything hostile. Neji almost flinched, but he still did not know what he was thinking truly about her.

Tenten sensed his confused emotions and did what any other person would. She slapped him.

"Neji- _you have to_ _listen to me_! You have to pin down your thoughts, and emotions and just freaking _decide _how you feel about her! Wandering around with thoughts like that makes you a vulnerable target to people who can read emotions well!"

"People like you?"

"Especially people like me- because the others are people like him!"

"So…" Neji said coolly.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Neji. He is nothing more than an evil person who … toyed with me enough to open up my mind. He could attack you where you are weakest- your mind and heart, and exploit everything in your head. You have to be firm, decisive and have a mind of steel. If you keep everything locked up, then no one can see," Tenten said, her voice rising with fervour. "What the hell happened to you? You used to be so calm, and together and I respected that. Why is it that now you're all over the place? Act like a _shinobi_!"

Neji's thoughts did clear slightly at her words, and she could see past the cloudy film of the first few layers of his mind, to the most prevalent thought in his mind- Emi.

"How do you feel about her?" Tenten asked firmly. "And give me a decisive answer or I will seriously punch you."

"Wow. You're giving me a lot of these violence threats today," Neji remarked. Tenten snapped her fingers and sparks showered onto him. "It's complicated."

Tenten cracked her knuckles, blue flames becoming apparent across her skin, and Neji smirked.

"Is that another way of just saying that you're immature? You're nice to her on 'good' days, and mean on every other day? I mean, I learned to put up with that but in her case… and then this rambling thought that you were thinking a minute ago seems to show me that she is highly manipulative- and you can't pick up on it? That is a world first, Neji," Tenten sighed, and Neji rolled his eyes.

"It is nothing like that."

"Then what is it? How can you be so sure that she's not using some kind of secret compulsion technique to compel you into loving her? It sounds like she's been successful because your thoughts are just going around in circles, and you're dodging the main question."

Tenten gave him a heated look, and Neji returned one- the full blast Hyuuga glare. One that could fully petrify any other human being not usually exposed to its force.

The suspense built between the two shinobi locked in an intense staring contest.

A thick silence fell, and finally Neji looked anywhere in the room other than Tenten, and Tenten looked nowhere else in the room other than Neji- it was unlike him to be so restless. She knew there was something wrong with his mind. She sighed and looked away.

"Follow me," she said tersely, leaving the room. Neji followed her upstairs and he peeked into the room on the first floor. It wasn't very large- it was around twenty square meters and there were several thick, white canvas scrolls lying on the ground, the ink waiting to be painted on.

"It's my training room. I'm still working on decorating," she sighed.

"Why don't you just wave your hands and, you know, make everything the way you want it?"

"Because that just takes the fun and purpose out of doing things by yourself," Tenten said, walking on up the wooden stairs. The lights winked into existence above them, but Neji couldn't see a switch.

"I guess I'm finally seeing how lazy you are," Neji smirked.

"I can push you down, you know," Tenten glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "We won't have to worry about you and your clouded mind, then."

They arrived in Tenten's bedroom- it was smaller than the study to make room for a balcony. She had a large sleigh bed, adorned with pale green sheets with apple blossoms embroidered upon them. Upon her bedside table was a silver photo frame, but it was not the one she had taken from his room.

The skylight provided some warmth to the room, and Tenten made sure it was firmly latched shut and covered it. There were not many other items in the room- there was a dressing table with a pale jewellery box. A dress was draped across the chair and Neji raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"You've taken to wearing dresses, I see," he said.

"You can't expect me to be someone else for three years and come back, suddenly the same. I like it," she said suddenly. "It's cute, and well, let's face it- I've been termed mentally unstable. It's not like anyone's going to notice if I start wearing different clothes."

"Yeah- they'll just notice you're back," Neji said sarcastically.

"What? Aren't I allowed to change and become more mature?" Tenten retorted.

"Oh," Neji smirked. "If you were ever mature before you left, then I'm a girl."

"That makes no sense," Tenten said, flopping back on the bed and staring up at the skylight, seeing only the shifting clouds.

"Neji… come here, please," Neji moved to the side of the bed, and Tenten blushed slightly as she said. "No… I meant like _here_, on the bed, next to me." She moved along, and Neji lay down close beside her, looking up at the clouds.

"I have an idea," Tenten began. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at him.

"Is it a good idea?"

"Do you want me to tell you or not?" Tenten huffed.

Neji smirked.

"Your mind is abnormally cloudy," she began. "When I look into the layers of your mind- seemingly wedged open, I suppose your thoughts are clinging to things that have been put there by someone else."

"Now you're the one not making any sense," Neji rolled his eyes.

"Okay…" Tenten stared into his lilac irises, her breathing falling into perfect time with his. "What I want you to do… is just clear your mind… and let me handle the rest."

She blinked at the same time that Neji did- or did he blink at the same time as she? Their movements were the same, their heartbeats matched, and Tenten slowly placed her cool fingertips on the pale skin on his temples. She noticed, with a pang, that he flinched at her touch.

"It's okay," Tenten said soothingly. "It's me- you can trust me, can't you?"

Neji blinked several times, before nodding tersely. She met his eyes, seeing the wrongness yet again. It was a taint- Emi had poisoned him with her ways, she realized. Sighing, Tenten untied his forehead protector, letting it fall onto the bed, and unwound the bandage-like strips of fabric. Without warning, she knocked him sharply in the middle of his forehead on the cross, breaking Emi's compulsion charms on him, and he fell back onto the bed.

"That hurt!" he said.

"How do you feel?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"Kind of… shaken," he said, rubbing his curse seal mark. "Just don't try that migraine technique on me like you did on the beach," he smirked up at her, propping himself up on his elbows.

"There's still more," Tenten said, smiling.

"What? Are you a neurosurgeon now? Are you going to crack my head open?" Neji whined.

"Your mind is still unstable!" Tenten said, laughing. "Just hold still so I can heal it properly!"

"Of course I'm unstable!" Neji cried. "You're the one who just knocked all of the common sense from my head!"

Tenten laughed.

"Stop being so irrational!" she replied. "This time it'll be a lot less painful!"

"I think you're just going to make me more stupid, you nasty person!" Neji fought back. "You're going to use your witchy tricks on me and turn me into a frog!"

Tenten sighed.

"Stop!" she said, holding her hand up. He froze, and his eyes moved and shifted warily as she approached him. "Don't worry," she smiled, "This is not going to hurt a bit."

She moved up to his frozen body and kissed his curse seal tenderly, warmth spreading from her lips into his mind. His fingers twitched and he placed his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.

Her eyes were unfocused and her face was dazed, like she was seeing something that he wasn't.

"Tenten," he said softly.

She shook her head, the dreams falling away.

"How do you feel?" the kunoichi asked.

"Better- my head seems… clearer," Neji replied softly, and leaned closer so his lips just brushed hers with a feather light touch.

"That's good," she said briskly, standing up. She moved too soon, and Neji started forward to catch her.

"Thank you…" the weapons expert said, her eyes sliding shut.

"Tenten?" Neji whispered, trying not to jar her. "Tenten are you okay?"

Tenten opened her eyes slightly, but as soon as Neji felt her body slump, and go limp, he knew that she had fallen unconscious- that, or asleep. Neji gently picked her up- like he was so used to- and placed her beneath the covers on the bed.

He sat down beside her and, before he could control his hands, he stroked the long bangs out of her face, combing his fingers through the long silken strands of her hair, and then, with a pained look in his eyes, remembered about Emi, and drew his hand away as he sat straight, not daring to look upon Tenten's sleeping face. It was too painful.

Also, thought Neji's critical mind, it would be dishonourable to be found like this- but why was he still thinking about Emi? Was Tenten not strong enough to banish her completely from his mind? Then, he realised he had thought about her by himself- she was his fiancée- naturally, he would be feeling some kind of … thing towards her- they would be getting married in a few months!

Then, as if on cue, Emi burst into the room with two Hyuugas in tow. (The Head-Branch family system had been abolished three years ago, but there were still some people finding it hard to adjust. Neji knew it would take at least another generation to heal the wounds between the family members.)

"Neji…?" she said softly, tears springing to her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I would like to ask you the same question. I came to visit her- orders of the Hokage," Neji replied softly, leaving Tenten's side with minimal movements. "And you, Emi?" Neji asked, "Why are you here?"

"I came," she said uncertainly, "because I needed to know where you were. I asked the Hokage-sama- and she said that you were on a personal mission… and I didn't know what it meant, so I… came to ask Tenten."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"A personal mission? That means that it is a mission that she requires to be done, free of charge, because she is too busy to do on her own," Neji replied calmly.

"I… see. And you willingly took this up because…?" Emi prompted.

"I wanted to. Money is not an issue for me and I had planned on seeing Tenten anyway, so when the Godaime asked me to check on Tenten's health, I was only too glad to do so."

"Well you've checked up on her, she looks fine to me. Your mission is over- don't overextend yourself, Neji," Emi said soothingly, like Neji was a child. Neji felt that it was fairly condescending, and some rebellious part of him said smugly, _"Tenten would never talk to you like that - she never has!"_

"Actually, she just fainted," Neji replied, and Emi rubbed her head.

"What time will you be home, tonight, Neji?" she asked tiredly, and the two Hyuugas, who had been uncomfortable the entire time, began to feel sorry for Emi more than they did for Neji, who seemed unaffected.

"I don't know," Neji said, just as tiredly as she.

Emi bowed her head and turned around. She left the house with the two Hyuugas just as silently as she had left. Neji locked the door behind them and went back upstairs. Tenten was sitting upright, awake.

"Neji," she said weakly. "She… she is not who she says she is…"

"I know that."

"Why are you still doing this?"

"Because there is not enough proof."

"Even if you do break off the engagement, what clan will come to the rescue, and sue you for damages?" Tenten asked, and Neji sighed.

"It is a risky thing. We don't even know if the documents Sakura got were real or not." Then something occurred to him. "You were awake the entire time? Why didn't I sense that? How did you know about Emi not being Emi?" Neji asked suspiciously.

"Yes, because my mind was aware of everything while my body rested and Hinata and Hanabi told me," Tenten answered sweetly, and Neji sighed. "Weren't you the one calmly listening in when I explained to Sakura and Chika?"

"You didn't mention that."

"I haven't told you a lot of things," Tenten said darkly. She paused, and sighed, pushing the sheets aside. "Go home, Neji."

"I need to talk to you about something," Neji protested.

"Didn't you already say that? We talked, and that's all there is to it."

"Well, actually, you didn't tell Sakura and Chikako everything," Neji stated calmly.

"Damn it," she swore. "I should have never taken those stupid veils from your mind. You're less suspicious when your mind is clouded."

"I'm guessing that was the point," Neji replied dryly. "Can't you just pry the information from her? Just force her to confess something, if anything at all?"

Tenten smiled wryly. "That's violation of privacy, Neji. I could do it if she was a criminal… but not to her- what if she wasn't guilty of anything?"

"What about those mind veil things? Who put them there?"

Tenten shrugged.

"There are only seven Hideaki Clan members in the world. Those sisters, Hiroshi, myself and someone else. What are the odds that the last is Emi?"

"Pretty marginal, I guess," Neji said, his face lit with a thoughtful expression. "Takumi Emi apparently doesn't exist currently- unless the archivists have mixed up records, or everyone in the clan has forgotten the other one."

"Takumi Emi doesn't exist?" Tenten did a double take. "Then who is she?"

"Like I said, I don't know for sure. I mean, those records had been created more than a hundred years ago; her clan has developed nomadic tendencies since then, and they probably aren't registered anywhere…"

Tenten smiled. "I guess you're hoping, then."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're hoping that she's not the seventh," a slow smile spread across her face. "You've fallen for her, haven't you?"

Neji sighed and looked away.

"I am not having this conversation with you," he muttered.

"You have!" Tenten smiled. There was an accusatory note in her voice. And Neji's face was shuttered. Tenten punched him playfully. "There's nothing wrong with it," she said. "Well, unless you want there to be- you know, like if she's evil, or unfaithful, or-"

A strange, pained expression came over Tenten's face. "Not again," she sighed. The world spun rapidly and Neji was the last thing she saw before she fell back onto the coverlet.

A sickening wave of dizziness washed over the Hyuuga and he doubled over, collapsing onto the bed beside the kunoichi.

Hiroshi appeared beside the window sill with a frown on his face. Tenten had progressed more than he had anticipated in those three years. He would need to do something, quickly, to bend her to his will. Without another sound, he turned back to the window and vanished.

**Oh, and also- I have started to write a collection of drabbles. It's just a few things in there- but suggestions will be taken! Bittersweet is the title, so it'd be great if you could go and take a look! **


	15. The Engagement Party

**E2: And… how much can happen in a single night? Er… lots.**

**Chapter Fifteen: The Engagement Party**

Neji opened his eyes and started, feeling suddenly quite empty and cold without Tenten's warmth by his side. Then, a wave of guiltiness hit him. Emi had probably been expecting him to get home last night- it was now ten o'clock in the morning.

"Damn it…" Neji swore, and left the room without a second glance, not noticing that Tenten's presence had vanished from the house. He quickly walked through the house, and to the front door, which he opened and walked out of, and was about to shut behind him when he heard a voice.

"Neji-nii-san… is that you?"

The Hyuuga looked around quickly. It was Hinata, and she was on a walk with her son, Daiki.

"Hinata-sama," Neji bowed, and remembered where he was standing- on Tenten's front door, the door still open behind him, at ten o'clock in the morning, his clothes incredibly wrinkled, and his hair mussed from sleep- if such a thing were possible.

"Why are you on Tenten-nee-chan's doorstep?" Daiki asked, loudly. He had obviously inherited his father's volubility and curiosity.

Neji hastily closed the door with a snap and left the lovingly tended garden, the iron-wrought gate locking as it swung shut behind him.

"And why are your clothes all wrinkled?" the young Uzumaki continued, much to everyone's chagrin.

Hinata gave Neji a look that spoke volumes on what he had done, and what it could then spark.

"Well," Neji cleared his throat. "Last night, the Hokage had instructed me to go check on Tenten to make sure that she was okay. She wasn't, so I stayed to make sure she would be," he explained, suddenly realizing that it sounded unbelievable.

"Then… why didn't you say good-bye to her? Why didn't she shut the door?" the young blonde inquired.

"She… was busy with something else. So what are you two doing down here?" Neji said, quickly shifting the conversation to another topic.

"We were going to the park- I wanted to see the ducks!" Daiki said enthusiastically and Hinata smiled serenely.

"Okay- enjoy your walk, Hinata-sama, Daiki-sama," Neji bowed hastily and jumped onto the rooftops, navigating his way back to what had once been both his and Tenten's apartment. He reveled in the cool, crisp air against his skin, and felt suddenly more awake than he had for the past three years. Tenten had healed his mind last night, he realized as he landed on the balcony. Who had Tenten become? Was the change for the better… or for worse?

He slid the glass door open and stepped into the bedroom. The maid inside glanced up from making the bed, and shook her head.

"Good morning, Neji," Utada said crisply. "You're home late, I see."

"Morning, Utada… Is Emi here?" Neji replied, ignoring her comment.

"No- she said she had gone out to find you."

"I see…" Neji replied suddenly uneasy.

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Did she say where she was going?"

"The Hyuuga Compound, to see Hinata-sama."

Neji handed her a few notes and left the house via the balcony once again, but this time, he was headed towards the Hyuuga estate- towards Emi.

---x---

Tenten woke groggily, her head pounding, her heart aching and nausea still numbed all of her senses. It was like waking up sick, with the worst hangover in the world. What was worse was that it had happened beyond ten times by now.

"Good morning, Tenten," said a deep male voice that did not belong to Neji- whom was pretty sure he'd collapsed because of slight repercussions after she had healed his mind.

"Hiroshi!" Tenten shot up, her mind finally catching up, and she then absorbed her surroundings.

It was a misty forest, very much like the dream she had shared with Neji.

"But, you see, this isn't a dream," Hiroshi said, coming up beside her out of the fog. "This is real."

"So… you're really here, and I'm here in real life?" Tenten said, reflexively tensing.

"Yes," Hiroshi answered. "You're here because I called you here, but I have decided to take a few security measures to ensure you have no power over me."

"Don't you trust me yet?" Tenten simpered. "I was sleeping- I'm completely unarmed."

"I highly doubt that- you did receive training from both me and Neji, I see," Hiroshi retorted dryly, and Tenten shrugged.

"I'm just me," she said, smiling.

"You and I both know that you're not that innocent," Hiroshi answered and began to walk.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"I brought you here," Hiroshi began," because I wanted to test you."

"What on?" Tenten tread on the lush grass carefully, the dew turning her feet numb.

"I have already seen the result- you are now tied to me," Hiroshi turned, and smiled, obviously smug.

Tenten felt a tingling sensation in her body- she was walking towards Hiroshi in swift, smooth strides, and she was suddenly in his arms, held fast by his vice like grip.

"And now… that kiss that I had so wanted from you…" Hiroshi said, leaning in closer.

At the last moment, Tenten turned her face so his lips only touched her cheek, and Hiroshi leered.

"Oh… A chaste kiss, shared by sisters, friends… and maybe… lovers."

Tenten shivered, and tried to exert her will the earth, searching for traces of metal. There was nothing. Fire flared in her hands, and Hiroshi dispelled it, blocking off her will with his mind. Tenten felt nothing but fear in her system.

Tenten was alone save for her own sanity, with the man who had lied to her for the past three years and now controlled every cell and fiber of her body.

The kunoichi felt her head turn against her will, and her determination vanished into thin air. Her lips parted, as if in passionate expectation, and a sob escaped her, regardless of Hiroshi's control over her body.

"I was patient," he was saying. "I helped you… and you never… ever… said thank you…" His voice shook with some unidentifiable emotion, but it somehow shocked her to her core. She was incredibly afraid.

"And now, I will claim my rightful reward," Hiroshi's blue eyes loomed ever close to hers, and she could only think of one thing. Or person.

Neji.

And, just like that, Hiroshi's appearance changed.

"Or would you rather I am the one you love?" he said in Neji's voice, Neji's smirk upon his face.

Tenten shut her eyes, the tears still flowing, and then he kissed her lips- and there was nothing that she could do. Neji would never do this to her. He would have protected her from this monster... whom she knew, on instinct, and through the guidance of her subconscious, she would have to fool and tame enough to teach her everything she needed to know. But even that thought was no consolation to the fact that Hiroshi was here, now, and all too real...

---x---

Tenten sighed as she stood in front of her mirror, fiddling around with the numerous bobby pins, and the folds of fabric of her dress. She turned around to get a better look at herself in the mirror when Hiroshi appeared at her side. Tenten sighed, the same empty feeling wash over her as Hiroshi touched her arm gently, kissing the nape of her neck. In the sanctuary of her mind, Tenten hated the fact that he had become a part of her life. She hated the fact that she always had to obey him, and had no control over him- even if he was not as powerful as her, he was still so much more experienced and conniving with his kekkei genkai. He broke away and smiled, just like he was the perfect husband- as he had been pretending to himself for the past six months.

"Here, let me help you," he said quietly.

He gently removed the pins of her hair and separated small strands of hair, twisting them and heating them so they curled gently, and then pinned two strands behind her head, shortening the other lengths beside her face to frame her cheeks subtly.

Tenten sighed as he smoothed out the crinkles in her dress with heated hands and she spun mechanically.

"Perfect," he whispered. With another kiss, he handed her the matching emerald green clutch and vanished. Tenten sighed and pressed her forehead against the wood of her bedroom door before taking a deep breath. Tonight was important- she had to be happy, for Neji… and for everyone else.

Neji hadn't seen Tenten for exactly five months, three weeks, two days, twelve hours, fifty-eight minutes and twenty six seconds. Seeing her again at his engagement party, Neji tried to divert his thoughts and concentrate on other things. The Rookie Nine had been invited, along with Team Gai, Aimi, and other influential people in the various countries- the marriage of the most prominent of Hyuuga males for three generations was quite an auspicious event.

Yet when Tenten entered the room, his breath caught once again and his heart still fluttered at the sight of her. Emi was unfazed by the presence of the kunoichi, and she continued to be the gracious hostess of the party, greeting members of Neji's family, and finally, Tenten.

She was instantly the centre of every man's attention in the room with her glossy, thick and shiny hair, its length easily exceeding Emi's, flowing in a gently waving, silken river down past her hip, her slim, lithe, lean and muscular body, her pale, smooth, unblemished skin…

"Congratulations," Tenten said, planting feathery air-kisses on Emi's cheeks. "On your engagement- I'm sure you and Neji will be happy together."

Neji stared at her chestnut coloured hair, glistening like her emerald green dress. She had not said a word to him, walking away to talk to the other guests whom she did know and felt comfortable talking with.

"Tenten!" Temari greeted warmly, and they embraced like sisters. "You look amazing."

"The same goes for you!" Tenten replied, admiring the feminine turquoise coloured dress that was sleeveless and contour hugging, but past the hips, it hung loosely down to her knees, swishing as she walked. A necklace with a turquoise crystal pendant shone benignly, and the kunoichi's hair was styled in an elaborate knot.

Tenten's smile did not falter as a man appeared at Temari's side.

"Oh, right. Tenten, this is my husband, Isamu. Isamu, this is Tenten, the best weapons specialist anyone can find on the continent."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "I think that's a bit of an overstatement, Temari. It's a pleasure to meet you, Isamu," she bowed, crossing her right arm over her left shoulder to prevent any indecent exposure, and he bowed in return, his brown eyes sparkling good naturedly. It was a fitting name for the man- one had to be brave to deal with Temari. She could be a challenge and quite a handful.

"Well, I don't think that's an overstatement, Tenten. I mean, I'd go to you any day to have a weapon made, but I think you'd just make it and not want to turn it over to me," the gruff, familiar voice was tinged with humour.

Tenten turned around, wrapping herself in Kiba's arms. It felt good to be seeing him once again. No one really had the time to see each other anymore, Tenten thought sadly. The same thought seemed to be running through his mind.

"You make terrible jokes, as always, Kiba," Tenten smiled, and Kiba shrugged. A slender woman appeared at his side- she had light grey eyes, short, deep red hair- so deep it was almost black, and wore a silvery, slinky dress with thin straps.

"You must be Tenten. Hi, I'm Gina. I'm Kiba's girlfriend," she introduced in a melodious voice, and Tenten smiled.

"It's great to meet you," Tenten smiled, and they exchanged the same feathery light kisses on the cheeks.

"Is it really Tenten, engaging in social activities?"

Tenten sighed dramatically, without turning.

"Is it really Shikamaru, in a tuxedo?"

The kunoichi turned around, laughing lightly. She and Shikamaru made eye contact.

"Unfortunately, yes," Shikamaru replied, shoving his hands into his pockets and slouching. "It's the one thing I don't like about these things. Why can't we all just meet over coffee or something?"

"Because, silly, there wouldn't be anything special about getting engaged at all!" Ino replied. Her hair was unbound, but curled, and she wore an indigo dress that had gathering on the side, so one side of the hem of the layered chiffon skirt was higher than the other.

"Hey, Nara Ino," Tenten smiled, and hugged Ino like she had hugged Temari. They had grown very close over the past six months, and Tenten had enjoyed Ino's light hearted company that was different to Hinata's proper and polite manners, Temari's bluntness (albeit the fact that she had talked to her briefly but the other woman had neglected to state that she was married) and Sakura's tactful words.

"How are you?" she asked both Shikamaru and his wife.

"Great," Ino replied breezily, but from the look of utter relief on Shikamaru's face, it was obvious that he was glad to be out of the house- for the first time in a while without his one year old son, and inquisitive three year old daughter. Tenten smiled warmly, and Ino and Shikamaru drifted off somewhere else, engaging in other social pleasantries.

"Well, well- look who's the social butterfly!" Sakura squealed by Tenten's ear, and Tenten beamed at the pink haired woman, who was now pregnant with her second child.

"Good evening, Tenten," Sasuke said, his posture perfect but he was obviously relaxed and at ease, although the kunoichi could sense that he was ready to jump into action at any moment.

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke-kun- it's a pleasure to see you here," Tenten said with stiff formality, bows and all, her coy smile adding to the effect. "How are you both?"

"Well… we're doing fine," The mother-to-be smiled happily, clasping her hands over the folds of her dress over her stomach. It was a peachy colour that reminded Tenten of the dusk sky, sprinkled with stars.

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Um… well…" Sakura looked up at Sasuke.

"Not really," he answered for her. "We still have five months, after all. But we are thinking, still."

Tenten smiled and nodded, and turned around, accidentally bumping into someone.

"Hinata-chan… Naruto-kun!" Tenten smiled and bowed to both of her friends. Hinata was looking resplendent in a simple and traditional irotomesode with hints of lilac, violet and indigo in the shifting weave of the obi and the lining of the sleeves.

"Tenten-nee-chan!" Naruto enveloped Tenten in an almost sibling-like hug, and Tenten fondly returned the gesture- the blonde was like a younger brother anyway.

"Tenten-chan, thank you for coming," Hinata whispered as she hugged the kunoichi. For some reason, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and Tenten determinedly blinked them away. This night, she thought fiercely, was for Neji and she would have to show her support.

"Tenten! You made it!"

"Why would I miss Neji's engagement, Lee? I have to be here to make sure I can tease him about any slip ups he makes… even though it is unlikely, regrettably," Tenten shrugged light heartedly, and chatted with Lee and his girlfriend Aiko for a few minutes about social pleasantries, as well as Shino and Chouji. Shino was also engaged- he and his fiancée Arisu were going to be married in nine months, and Chouji was also married to a woman by the name of Sora.

----x----

Neji was only half paying attention as people came up to both him and Emi, offering their congratulations. He did not see Emi, in her delicate hand spun golden silk dress that accentuated the beauty of her hair and creaminess of her skin.

He had only eyes for Tenten, in her beautiful, entrancing emerald green dress. She unknowingly drew the stares of everyone around her, whether it be for the effortless grace with which she moved or the natural beauty that emanated from her radiant, flawless skin. The striking colour and design of her dress made her stand out from every other woman in the room; her distinct perfume was light and not over cloying. The simple style of her hair set her apart from everyone else with their hair tied into uncomfortable knots and the sweet lilt of her voice carried to his ears. The exquisite features of her face were accentuated by the tastefully applied and chosen makeup- everything about her fascinated and mesmerized him, and as she moved, time slowed down and everything muted and darkened around Neji until the only thing he could see or hear was Tenten.

"Right, Neji-kun?" Emi asked.

Neji, who had been absent-mindedly keeping track of the conversation, nodded politely.

"Yes, and I wish your daughters, Kaede and Kasumi, every success in their Chuunin examination next week, Junko-san," Neji said, bowing.

Junko was apparently satisfied with Neji's answer, moved away, and Emi dragged Neji on to meet yet another person.

Neji watched as Kiba hugged Tenten, seeing the pure delight on her face as she hugged the Inuzuka back fondly, and laughing and talking with an animation that contrasted to when he had last seen her, in real life and in his dreams. He wished that he had been the one to put that cheeky spark back in her eyes, and that loving, happy smile the back on her face.

Putting those thoughts aside, Neji focused on something else, but his eyes were drawn to the plunging neckline of her dress that ended in a sharp V, the fabric gathering from that central point. The emerald green fabric clung to her body around her waist and hips then fell in graceful folds down to the floor.

Tenten's hair was styled in a manner that would normally require hours in a salon and a million and a half different hairstyling products, resulting in, most likely, a hair do that was incredibly elegant but caused much discomfort and fell into shambles by the end of the night.

She turned around and met Neji's eyes for a split second, and for him, she moved in slower motion than she had before.

Her lips were shaded in a rouge tint that reminded the Hyuuga of a rose. She blinked, and her sooty eyelashes were accentuated by black mascara. The lightly applied eyeliner was white and opened up her eyes, and the eye shadow was also a natural and warmed shade of brown. Her cheeks were lit with a rosy glow that was also helped with a light dusting of blush that was the finishing touch to her look- subtle, natural and completely and utterly alluring.

---x---

After half an hour, everyone was seated at their tables of around fourteen. Tenten sat with Kiba, Gina, Shino, Arisu, Chouji, Sora, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, Ayame, Temari, Isamu and Kankuro. As Hinata was already married to Naruto, and close family with Neji, she sat at the head table with Neji, Emi and her sister Aimi, Hanabi (dressed in a beautiful red furisode), Sakura and Sasuke (as another noble clan of Konoha), Gaara, the feudal lord of the fire country, and a few other people Tenten did not know.

Light food was consumed, along with champagne. Tenten was staring off into the distance, the vague direction of her gaze aimed at the main table. All she could see in her head was the golden swirling liquid inside Emi's champagne flute.

"Tenten, are you listening?" Temari demanded.

Tenten whirled around.

"Sure- you were talking about the growth of the economic market in the sand village," she smiled, and Temari snorted lightly.

"What happened?" Tenten asked.

"Emi… I think she's a bit tipsy. The champagne glass tipped onto her."

"Well, it's not like it'll stain. Her dress is even that colour, for goodness' sakes."

The champagne glass had snapped, the drink spilling onto her dress, and the glass fragments snagged on the silk, causing threads to come loose. The cause was entirely unknown, and Tenten always maintained the fact that she'd had nothing to do with it after that night.

Then, to draw everyone's attention away from the young woman's accident, the lights dimmed, and the band on the stage began to play music. Everyone drifted onto the dance floor, and Emi hurried into the bathroom with her sister, Aimi. Soon, only Tenten, Neji, Kankuro and Gaara remained seated, and Tenten stood up and walked to the bathroom to wash her hands.

Emi and Aimi were inside, trying to clean the stain away, and make the small loose threads look unobvious.

"It's not coming out!" Emi squealed, and Tenten quickly washed her hands and tried to leave without being spoken to.

Aimi, however, with her sharp eyes, knew who it was.

"Tenten," she said imperiously, and a perfectly mirrored flash of contempt swept fleetingly through the kunoichi's eyes.

"Yes?"

"I've noticed…" she said calmly. "That Neji… seems to be fascinated by you."

"Well… I haven't seen him for six months, and before that one time, three years ago- but we had a relationship, before he met Emi," Tenten explained.

"Right," Aimi drawled. "Well, keep it that way. Oh, and by the way- your dress… it's so… tacky. You might want to consider wearing something less… sluttish at the wedding."

"Follow your own advice," Tenten smiled sarcastically and left the bathroom with someone else who had witnessed the exchange. She shot Tenten an apologetic glance, and Tenten shrugged good-naturedly. As the other woman left the room, Tenten put a small seal on the door that would lock it completely for a few minutes once someone tried to leave, activating the seal.

She opened the second door, and Neji was standing beside her in an instant.

"Dance with me?" he whispered in her ear.

"Um…" Tenten said, a shiver caused by déjà vu shooting down her spine.

Without waiting for another answer, he took her by the hand, and led her out onto the dance floor.

Neji put Tenten's hands on his neck, and put his hands firmly on her waist, and they began to sway slowly like everyone else around them.

"Thanks for coming," he said softly in her ear.

"Congratulations," she smiled.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," they said quickly, like they had rehearsed it perfectly.

"You didn't say anything before, so…" Neji trailed off.

"I know."

"That thing with Emi was… strange," Neji said, for lack of finding a better word.

"I've changed."

"I know," Neji said sharply.

They both did not meet each others eyes, but somehow ended up standing very close together.

"You look… absolutely beautiful," Neji said softly by Tenten's ear. He gently caressed the ends of her hair with his fingers from where they lay comfortably on her hips. He could smell her perfume on her neck, and felt the heat radiating from her smooth, sheer skin.

She licked her lips nervously.

"Why… why do you do this to me, Neji? Why do you do this to yourself? It's your engagement party and we can't be seen together… not like this."

"I know. But I had to. You… in that dress… I couldn't help but just…"

In the dim lighting, Neji heard her sharp intake of breath, and moved back slightly, gently taking her chin in his thumb forefinger and stared down into her eyes, and she looked up, tentatively into his. Suddenly, all of the electricity in the building flickered out, and some people screamed.

None of it mattered to Neji, who just bent his head… and kissed Tenten on her lips, and they were transported to a world that had existed… seven years ago. The image of that photo that Lee had taken of them when they were nineteen, young, and carefree, at a stupid bonding camp disco flashed in their minds, and they broke apart, panting slightly, Tenten's head resting on his chest, and his head resting on top of hers, their hands laced together, while the chaotic mayhem continued around them.

Suddenly, all of the warmth left Neji's body as Tenten fled, quickly helping someone else on the other side of the room with incredible speed. The lights turned back on, and everyone stopped screaming. Emi had left the bathroom looking flustered and furious, her eyes wildly searching for the reason of her rage- Tenten, but she was nowhere near Neji, who was standing in the middle of the dance floor, apologizing and aiding people in standing. Tenten was sitting in her chair, her face set in a bemused expression as she watched everyone else. She must have planned it, Emi thought finally.

----x----

She hadn't meant for any of it to happen. The glass was purely an accident. She'd had nothing to do with it, but the seal had been a bit childish of her, and the dancing… and kissing… it had been partly her fault. If she had pushed Neji away before any of it had happened… especially with the blackout…

Tenten sighed as she walked down her street past midnight. Someone had offered to walk her home, but she'd declined saying, firmly, that she could handle herself. Her shoes dangled from her fingers, her clutch in her other hand and she sighed wistfully as she looked up at the sky. There was no moon tonight.

"Quite impressive, Tenten. You've grown so much stronger…" Hiroshi said, looking down at her from a rooftop.

There was no need to seal her mind- Hiroshi only pried into her thoughts anyway. The only thing she could do was remain calm.

"You were there?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was," Hiroshi smirked as he jumped down to her level. They walked at a measured pace, back to her house, and Tenten knew what was coming next.

The gate swung shut silently, locking behind them, as did the front door. Tenten shivered as they walked up the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway as he walked behind her. They arrived in her bedroom, and the fury radiated from Hiroshi's body.

"What were you thinking, kissing him?" he asked jealously.

"_He_ kissed me." Tenten replied softly, defiantly, not flinching as Hiroshi took her chin roughly between his thumb and forefinger; a mockery of the gesture that Neji had just shown her. It was almost hard enough to bruise her skin, but Hiroshi was careful to never leave bruises where people would notice.

"If you… ever touch or go near him again, I will _kill_ the _both_ of you, got it?" Hiroshi growled, and pushed her face away.

Tenten grit her teeth and said nothing. She'd learned from experience that his threats were mostly empty, that is, until it involved another man. But she felt like just shouting out that together, she and Neji could kill him. She knew that she had powers to exceed his- they both knew that. Hiroshi feared her, but he only just barely kept her under his control under his better understanding and manipulation of his power.

But Tenten didn't care.

It was only a matter of time before she would break free.


	16. Choices

**E2: Wow. My second computer to die on me in two months, and my cat ran away and came home!!!!! He's my fat amusing muse XD **

**Chapter Sixteen: Choices**

Tenten woke up the next morning feeling sore and stiff- she'd fallen asleep the previous night with her arms beneath the pillow as she slept on her stomach. Her eyes were puffy from tears and her eyelids had seemed like they were glued together.

The bed beside her was vacant, as was the rest of the house- it was always the same every morning, after he left her in the night. She'd just be left feeling achingly alone and empty, like the house, her body covered in numerous bruises, her lips swollen and her tongue heavy from bleeding.

Some days were slightly better than others but today was the worst morning she had experienced within the past five months, especially since her thoughts kept returning to Neji- and Hiroshi had known it, so he had mocked her, kissing her gently and caressing her skin with feather light touches, all the while letting her know that she was completely under his control, and she was powerless against him.

The kunoichi swung her feet over the side of the bed, her toes touching both wooden floorboards and the silk dress.

Sighing, Tenten bent over and flicked it out several times, and draped it over the foot of her bed. The weapons expert gingerly picked up a yukata to change into and, minutes later, stepped into a relaxing bathtub full of hot water.

The weariness seeped out of her pores as she washed her face and all of the lingering traces of the previous night. The doorbell rang with a cheerful, albeit incredibly unneeded, trill, and the woman sighed. She wanted to be left alone, and ignored the repeated attempts to get her attention.

All Tenten wanted to do was just sink into the luxuriantly lovely water and forget about everything, Neji and Hiroshi especially. It was strange, she thought, how everything had just spiralled out of control in the time it took her to blink- maybe… if she and Neji had never taken that trip to the beach house… maybe they'd still be together…

Then, she sat up with a bone jarring jolt as she realized the person ringing her doorbell at this ungodly hour had been Neji- her senses had been too numbed by nightmares to register that the Hyuuga was… now in her bathroom.

"I'm in the bath!" Tenten shrieked. "GET OUT!" she roared, flinging out her hand. Neji, moving thanks to Tenten's will, wheeled about sharply and strode out of the room into the hallway, the door slamming shut and locking by itself behind him.

A few minutes later, the kunoichi had reluctantly left the water and pulled on her lilac cotton yukata as she dried her hair quickly.

She opened the door and Neji was still standing in the hallway, a sarcastic expression on his face.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"Well, I was hoping for a more pleasant 'Good morning, Neji- how can I help you?" Neji replied sardonically, then something caught his eye. "What happened last night, after you came home?" he asked her, his voice so soft Tenten had to strain to hear it.

Tenten looked away.

Neji gently placed a hand on her cheek, and suddenly Tenten knew why- her chin had bruised from where Hiroshi had held her, and Neji could see it. He could see … everything.

"Who was it?" Neji asked. The tone of his voice was enough to make her flinch and she moved her hand away.

"It's none of your business!" she snapped. "Neji- why did you come here? I'm sure it wasn't to ask about my health. You could have done it six months ago," Tenten said briskly, moving his hand gently, but firmly away from her face.

"I'm not telling you anything until you tell me what I want to know," Neji said stubbornly, blocking her entrance to her bedroom.

Tenten sighed and quickly glanced into his eyes. He was troubled, that she knew for certain. In a split second, she had her answer.

"It's Emi, isn't it?" It wasn't a question. "Someone's taken her," she said softly. Neji glared at her.

"I don't appreciate you prying into my mind."

"Hypocrite," Tenten spat. "You know you did far worse to Hinata when you were thirteen. I can beat you ten times over without raising a finger," she hissed. She pushed past him, going into her room. When she re-emerged, the bruise was gone, and she'd changed into her shinobi outfit.

Tenten had evidently cooled down.

"I'll help you, if you want me to," she said softly.

Neji said nothing, turning and walking out of her house. She followed.

----x----

Upon their arrival in her office, Tsunade immediately began her mission briefing.

"Tenten, Neji," The Godiame began. "As you are aware, Takumi Emi has been kidnapped and there has been no mention of a ransom as yet from the kidnapper." She paused and looked at the other occupants of the room, namely Shizune, Neji, Tenten and Aimi.

"Takumi Aimi has requested that we send a three man jounin cell to rescue her sister, but we are, unfortunately, very short in supply."

"Why were we chosen?" Neji asked, still as sharp on the uptake as he was when Tenten had first met him. "Who has taken her?"

Tsunade sighed.

"The head of reconnaissance in Sunakagure has informed us that their targets, located on Mt Yuki, had shown signs of suspicious activity yesterday. At about four o'clock this morning, their suspicions had been proved, and Emi was seen taken up to the summit- but that was only as far as they could see. Men were sent up the mountain, but it was dangerous with traps and, near the summit, four soldiers ambushed them."

Tenten felt a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew by the tone of the Godaime's voice, and the look in her eyes what was coming next.

"Their names are Hideaki Akane, Hotanu, Asuka and Hana. We have sent the two of you, firstly because Neji's Byakugan is invaluable in order to avoid or disable the traps, and secondly, because Tenten has had dealings with the four, and we need as much as an advantage as we can," Tsunade explained.

"But who was at the summit? Who has taken my sister?" Aimi demanded her voice shrill with panic.

"Hideaki Tetsu- the oldest, apparently, of the five, and she has been known to be able to shape shift and change any part of her appearance at will- but it cannot be fooled by the Byakugan, nor is it a genjutsu. Her talents are largely unknown, but as Tenten has had some experience with that field, she must go because we need as much of an upper hand as we can get against these people."

"Shikamaru's…" Tenten said tentatively.

"That course of action was immediately invalid as soon as Emi was taken," Tsunade snapped, and Tenten made no move- not even to flinch, Aimi noticed.

"You must leave immediately," Shizune said, coming out of the corner. She handed Neji and Tenten their mission details and maps. "Are you familiar with the location?"

"Yes," Tenten replied firmly. Neji nodded.

Mt Yuki was east of the village. It took three days to walk there and two if they jumped the entire way, but that was very energy and chakra consuming. Once at the foot of the mountain, it took another five days at least to reach the summit. Somehow, it was always snowing on the mountain, even in summer, hence the name Yuki. All in all, it would take five days at the most to get to Emi.

Team Gai had often travelled there for weeks at a time to practise bonding exercises that usually resulted in Lee and Gai-sensei getting distracted by squirrels in the forest, leaving Neji and Tenten to traverse up the mountain by themselves. The pair had memorised the safer and more dangerous paths and trails to find and follow, but they would most likely be the paths that would be swarming with traps and exploding tags that would cause avalanches.

Tetsu and her accomplices had chosen the most opportune time to hold someone hostage at the summit of the mountain.

"Be careful," Shizune said. "And remember, this is only a rescue mission."

She might as well just have said 'Don't harm them because we want more information from them about their kekkei genkai.'

Tenten sighed.

With those words ringing in their ears, Tenten and Neji glanced at each other and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

They reappeared at the gates of Konoha, looking out to the wide road in the middle of the forest. They began to walk at a normal pace, Tenten's strides matching Neji's every step of the way.

When they got to the top of that mountain, Tenten thought it would be the last fight with Hiroshi (and possibly those other sisters) and she knew she had to come out on top, even if it meant her own death.

"What are you thinking about?" Neji asked, looking down at her.

"It's nothing …"

"I don't think so." Neji said. _He knows me a little too well_, she thought.

"Do you expect me to tell you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," he snapped. "You've been nothing short of a stranger ever since you came back! I don't even know you anymore- you've changed so much I'm afraid that if I say something, you just won't understand me like I'm talking another language!"

Tenten remained silent for a few moments. _I take that back_, she sighed mentally.

"You know what?" she shouted back. "You're right. You don't know me- and I don't want you to! And the same goes for you too- I don't _want_ to know you anymore. I just want to go away, and leave all this behind me and start somewhere new… not as a shinobi. I want to forget everything. I don't want to be Miyako, or even Tenten anymore! Everyone just keeps expecting me to be the way I was… but I can't go back!" She took a deep breath. "I wasn't here for Hiashi's funeral, I couldn't even go to my best friends' weddings, or be there when they had their first children! And you just came waltzing along, playing all of your little games with Emi, saying all of this crap about how you still wanted to be friends with me but you're not- and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. As soon as this mission ends, I am leaving Konoha for good."

"Fine."

"Yeah- enjoy your marriage!" Tenten snapped.

"I will now!" Neji retorted.

The words left the both of them feeling resentful towards the other, and neither felt inclined to make any kind of conversation.

At sunset, they kept walking until the moon rose. At around nine thirty, they stopped and set up camp by a clear lake, a willow sheltering them from prying eyes. Tenten quickly bathed in the dim moonlight, ignoring Neji's eyes on her. She realized that that was a mistake moments later.

He appeared at her shoulder and Tenten glared at his clear reflection in the lake.

"Why did he do this to you?"

"It's a clan mark, Neji," she snapped, holding up her hand with the other crossed over her chest. They heard her pack unzip itself and the towel flew into her outstretched hand.

Neji laughed dryly.

"And I know all about them. I have yet to encounter any kind of seal that does not require pain of some sort and for all I know, you were forced to endure more than a few days of pain."

"Turn around," Tenten snapped.

Neji acquiesced quietly with a smirk on his face. The cross kunoichi wrapped the towel around her form and ran her fingers through her hair, shortening it without a second thought as she warmed and dried her locks in a matter of seconds, the towel falling away she clothed herself in an instant.

Neji turned back around and Tenten was gone, already beneath the willow tree and unrolling her sleeping bag.

The Hyuuga sighed.

"Tenten," he said softly. The sound travelled across the water, but Tenten would have heard him regardless. Habits so deeply implanted within her mind came easily as a second nature. She would hear him, whenever he said her name.

"You just need to know… They don't make you who you are now," he whispered as he approached her. The dappled moonlight caught the amber flecks in her eyes, hard with hostility.

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? That curse seal shaped your beliefs in early life!"

"No," Neji retorted quietly. His calm voice was beyond infuriating to the kunoichi. "My beliefs were shaped by my desire to avenge my father's death. The curse seal was a symbol of my anger. I was marked when I was three, and grew up without love and joy. You did."

"Oh save your crap for some one who cares!" Tenten snapped. "Okay, sure- you've had them for longer, but you don't have two minds constantly trying to merge and failing! Memories scattered in places I can't reach and trying to come to terms with a completely different world which I had been forced to leave behind…" She shut her eyes tiredly and opened them again. "I need space, Neji. Just leave me alone."

Not another word was spoken between them as they woke after scant hours of restless sleep and continued on their seemingly endless trudge towards Mt. Yuki, eating breakfast on the go.

They reached the foot of the mountain at noon on the third day. They'd been travelling eighteen hours straight since yesterday, and were utterly exhausted- but they would have to rest and conserve energy for what would be coming on the mountain.

They threw down their packs in their usual spot by a river that ran through the grasslands and ended, obviously, before the desert.

Tenten left Neji to set up the campsite as she quickly stripped off her outer layers and entered the river. The current was cold, dull and sluggish, causing gooseflesh to sweep up her skin from her toes.

She swam deftly around for a few moments, briskly running soap over her skin when she found a sheltered area. When she was done, she drifted lazily in the water, a slow euphoria creeping over her senses. With a stupidly happy grin on her face, her eyes slid shut and she fell asleep in the river.

"Tenten… wake up… Tenten!" someone hissed.

The first thing Tenten realised was that it was freezing cold; enough to lead to frostbite. Without opening her eyes, she quickly summoned a heap of clothes to her person, including a hooded jacket.

"Tenten!" Again, there was that insistent hissing.

The weapons expert opened her eyes with a snap and sat up in a fluid motion, taking in her surroundings as she did so. She was in a dark cave with an opening to her left through which an arctic wind blasted along with a harsh white glow. The kunoichi turned her attention to the other apparent captive in the cave- it was Emi was sitting on the floor, bound and gagged with chakra rope, and surrounded by a ring of white light. She was on the top of the mountain, Tenten realised.

"I wouldn't step any closer if I were you," an insidious voice stated. "You're here only to watch and listen."

Tenten sealed her mind and summoned her kodachi to her slender fingers and turned around, prepared for a fight.

"Who are you?" she demanded, squinting against the snow. The woman did not reply. The weapon spun like liquid metal in Tenten's fingers and whistled as the kunoichi held it to the woman's throat.

"Well, you might not remember me so well, _Miya_... but I suppose that's because I was only ever your maid, right?"

There was a sudden flash in Tenten's mind- a firefly, trapped in an amber pendant. The kodachi blazed with a white hot heat and the kunoichi winced, feeling the power of the younger girl course through the metal.

"Hotanu," Tenten said quietly. "You know that's not going to work on me."

"I know," Hotanu shrugged. "It's just a lot more fun to annoy you." She stepped into the cave, and away from Tenten's blade. Her blue hair was hidden under a hooded jacket that was thick and had fur trimmings around the hood and sleeves. Her face was pink with cold and her grey-lilac eyes shone almost feverishly in the light snow, and Tenten glared back.

"Now, now, Hotanu... Make sure you play nicely. Tetsu wants to make sure that she can talk to her." It was Hana. Tenten remembered the green hair immediately. The other sisters followed her into the cave- Akane, with her fiery red hair, and Asuka, with her distinct scent of the sun, wind and orchids.

"Tenten- you have answered our summons," Akane said, smirking.

Tenten growled, and another kodachi appeared in her other hand, crackling with electricity.

"We have a message for you, from Tetsu," Asuka continued.

"She says that if you do not arrive at the summit, in three days, Emi here…" Hana smiled at Emi.

"… Emi will die!"

At these words, Emi's eyes widened, and her skin paled even more, despite being slightly blue with cold.

Tenten woke up suddenly, and breathed in an entire mouthful of water when she remembered she'd fallen asleep at the lake; the sisters' combined will had been too much for her to resist.

She kicked feebly, but the current was too strong, and kept her head below the water, and she couldn't change anything from happening- she felt the sisters' intervention, but she was too weak to fight them off yet.

Suddenly, strong hands grasped her own, and tugged her out of the river's current, and onto the dry land. Neji cursed- Tenten hadn't woken up completely yet; she wasn't even breathing very well.

He placed a hand on her neck and felt her pulse. It was faint and erratic. He pinched her nose and placed his mouth on hers, and breathed air – breathed _life_ – back into her body, and Tenten tore her mouth away from his, rolling onto her stomach and getting up on all fours as she retched and coughed out the water from her body, tears clouding her vision.

Neji rubbed her bare back soothingly, and wrapped a towel around her shoulders. After her ordeal, Tenten dropped to the grass once more and rolled onto her back breathing deeply, tears still streaming down her face. When the tears subsided, and her breathing returned to normal, Neji brought Tenten her clothes, that had he had fully dried, and helped her to dress.

"Thanks, Neji." Tenten met Neji's eyes, and he found he couldn't look away. He could see no trace of the colours in her eyes that he had seen several nights ago, but her soft chestnut coloured eyes were irresistible, and he was just losing himself in the rich colour…

"Neji- there's something I have to tell you," Tenten said softly, her voice breaking Neji out of his thoughts. "The sisters called to me, and I couldn't resist them- I fell asleep, Neji… and I was taken away from the river, to the cave at the top of the mountain, and Emi was there. She was bound, and gagged, and within a circle of white chakra. They told me that if we didn't get to the top of the mountain in three days, they'd kill her."

"Tenten," Neji said firmly. "I know what they did to you- but … rushing is going to get us nowhere. That mountain is fraught with dangers- some natural, and some set up by the enemy. We need to think this through, because if we don't, all three of us could end up dying."

A heavy silence fell between them and Tenten yawned, stretched out on the grass, and breathed in the sweet tang of the earth. Neji joined her moments later, and his hands conveniently fell so that both his and Tenten's littlest fingers touched, gently.

"Do you love her, Neji?" Tenten asked after a while.

Neji rolled onto his side to look down at her, propping up his head with his elbow. He resisted the urge to use his other hand to caress her face and sighed.

"Didn't we have this conversation six months ago?"

"We never finished it, and you were not fit to answer the question at the time," Tenten replied. "Just, please Neji, answer the question."

"I don't love her."

"Do you like her?"

"I guess I have to, don't I?"

Tenten was silent, and her eyes drifted shut. Neji watched her, and was almost surprised when she spoke again.

"So… how do you feel about me?"

"You? I think that's a question that we both know the answer to, Tenten," Neji replied sarcastically.

"Why did you avoid me, then, in those six months?"

"Why did _I_ avoid _you_?" Neji echoed disbelievingly.

"Well that was the impression I got from it."

"_You _were the one who had _vanished_ when I woke up that morning- and the one who didn't say anything at the party… and then, you … ran off… later, and you've hardly been speaking to me at all!"

"I was ignoring you." Tenten said bluntly. "That's the point."

Neji smirked.

"Well," she said to fill the silence. "Thank you."

----x----

After half an hour, they picked up their bags once again and began to walk up the mountain, with Neji scouting up ahead for traps, and Tenten casting out her mind for any other human presences circling around to follow them, weapons drawn and poised to strike at any moment.

After about six hours, they had taken fifteen detours to avoid precisely twenty-seven traps and ambushes that had been set up for them, and encountered seven scouts sent to find them- all had been dealt with in a matter of seconds- and rendered half of the men in an attempted ambush incapacitated before they had even known that Neji and Tenten were among them.

Tenten's bangs were hidden by her forehead protector; they'd frozen because of sweat. Neji seemed as calm and cool as ever, unaffected by the past six hours. They were, however, tired, and knew that they had to find somewhere to sleep soon because there was only a small sliver of light on the horizon where the sun was meant to be.

Neji found one- it had been very commonly used in their team, on the first night- and he was surprised to find that it had been left alone. Tenten knew that someone would come for them in the evening- and wordlessly conveyed her thoughts to Neji. He nodded, and they both began to create several traps around their area. Neji took the first watch, saying that Tenten needed her rest more. The kunoichi's eyes narrowed- had she been in any other situation, she would have challenged him to a fight of some sort, but she figured that, for now, a glare would be enough. Nevertheless, she spread out her sleeping bag and laid a pair of katana by her fingers, keeping her scrolls in the holsters on her thighs and her weapon pouch directly next to her katana.

Neji watched with some amusement. She could never sleep without those things by her side whenever they went on missions like these. It was a ritual, almost, she went through every time. He nodded when she passed him the food pills and simply sat there, listening to the sounds of the night mingling with her quiet, even breaths.

----x----

Two nights later, Tenten was huddling in the cold, taking the first watch. The summit was a day's journey away. They would make it in time.

But try as she might, she could not feel any kind of satisfaction from the thought. Losing Neji was hard. Knowing that it was her duty to save the woman he had to marry; a woman who would break and bend him to her will was harder.

There was a flicker of a mind somewhere above her and the kunoichi did not even have the time to move. An incredible force had taken over her mind and body, and she was completely immobilised. Her feet no longer touched the ground, Tenten noted wryly.

It was like being under Hiroshi's control, but five thousand times more powerful. It had to be Tetsu.

"I'm glad you've noticed," Tetsu said wryly. Her voice was low and husky, sultry almost.

The kunoichi tried to fight back but it was like punching a wall made out of diamond.

"Well, I am the strongest person in the Hideaki Clan, by all accounts," the other woman bragged. Tenten glared. "Such insolence…" Tetsu scolded and Tenten's mind was taken over by an insufferable pain. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, the weapons expert still tried to fight back, but it only sapped her energy, giving Tetsu the opportunity to throw her pain barriers right open.

"Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me, Tenten," Tetsu said. Tenten heard the smugness in her voice and vowed to kill her.

"You might be able to hide your thoughts from Hiroshi…" Tetsu said calmly, thinly veiling her delight, "but not from me."

The world went black.

So did Tenten's rage.

Tenten woke, once again, feeling groggy and stiff. It was then she realised that she was tied up and gagged. She opened her eyes- but couldn't see a thing. She'd been blindfolded, ironically, by her own forehead protector.

"Tenten!" someone hissed her name, and Tenten turned her head towards the source. She tried to use her powers to raise the blindfold back up onto the top of her head, and found that she could not reach her powers- chakra included.

"Tenten- it's me- Emi. Listen- we have to get out of here- they're coming back any minute now- but this is our chance! You have to do _something_!" Emi whispered loudly.

The kunoichi shut her eyes and relaxed, trying to find her power, or some sliver of chakra. It was all gone. How she had even woken up was still a mystery to her. Tenten's head began to ache terribly- it was a hundred and fifty times more head splitting than a migraine and, somewhere in her mind, Tenten wondered if this was what it felt like when a curse seal was activated. The pain grew to be too much, and the kunoichi passed out yet again, feeling helpless, weak and, above all, furious that she had not been able to even put up a fight.

----x----

Neji woke in the middle of the night to find that Tenten had vanished without any tracks to reveal where she had gone, or who had taken her. The kunoichi's chakra signature was no where near; after a moment of searching, Neji found that he could not feel her presence at all. Her pack, sleeping roll and weapons were gone, and there were no signs of struggle, hardly an indent in the snow to mark where she had sat previously. However, Neji knew where she was, and who had taken her.

The prodigy packed up his belongings and shouldered his pack, running up the mountain lightly and swiftly. He saw the small shadows flit around the summit, knowing that they were the guards, and that Tenten lay somewhere within that cave they were protecting. Emi crossed his mind for only a split second, and Neji felt the slightest pang of guilt. He would have to get Emi first, he reasoned, and then rescue Tenten. Or he could rescue Tenten and they could rescue Emi together. After all, two against ten was more favourable than one against ten.

As he thought, the Hyuuga snuck silently past the stationed guards at the entrance to Tetsu's encampment, keeping his guise- a camouflage technique that allowed him to blend into any back ground. Using chakra, he made sure he made no prints in the snow, and made no sound as he breathed- but that last jutsu had been slightly unnecessary, as it was far too windy on the summit of the mountain to hear anything other than the screeching winds.

He activated his bloodline limit and saw Tenten, in the cave up ahead- she. She looked like she was asleep, judging by the chakra patterns in her body- but there was something wrong with her- like she was poisoned, because the flow of chakra had just about stopped circulating, like her tenketsu had been sealed.

Steeling his resolve, Neji entered the cave and saw Emi, gagged and surrounded by a line of white chakra, as Tenten had said, but Tenten herself was tied up and suspended by a chain attached to a band at her waist above a crevasse. Both women were on thin ice, and any movement would send them plunging to their deaths.

Someone pushed him from behind, and dispelling the technique, and Neji whirled around, slapping the hand away. A man with blue hair and electric blue eyes leered at him and Neji glared. Behind the man stood four women, whom he assumed were the four sisters Tenten had been talking about.

They walked into the cave, pushing Neji backwards as they sealed the entrance. The women removed their hoods, and they all looked different- except for one. One of them was blonde, and looked just like Emi- Asuka, Neji remembered. Tenten had thought that Emi was Asuka, when she'd first seen her on the beach. He couldn't help but agree.

"So, Neji- you've finally come," the man said. "You've finally come to rescue Emi! Or was it Tenten?"

Neji tried to snap something back, but his mouth was sealed shut.

"Why don't you take a closer look?" The red head prompted.

Neji was forced to turn around. The chakra was beginning to eat away at the ice, and the rocks above the weapons specialist were beginning to crumble.

"Pick one," the youngest one said, sounding and appearing genuinely disinterested in the choice that he made.

Neji felt the feeling in his body returned and his eyes narrowed, a plan already formulated in his mind.


	17. Closure

**Chapter Seventeen: Closure**

Neji sprung into action a split second later and threw himself at the wall behind the women. He pushed himself off it with his feet, grabbing Tenten in his arms as he used a clone to pick up Emi. The chain ripped out of the stone easily and he placed the kunoichi gently on the floor of the cave. She was still unconscious, but her breathing was steady. He pushed her forehead protector back up onto her head and went to Emi's aid.

His young fiancée was flushed, apparently unable to hide her relief that Neji had come to rescue her. Neji gently removed the gag and untied the rope that bound her hands.

The moment she was free, Emi flung her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him.

"You came for me!" She sobbed with relief and drew away so she could look into his eyes. They were still clouded over with anger, and he glanced at Tenten. "Neji," Emi said softly. She moved quickly and suddenly, and the Hyuuga found himself kissing Emi. Or rather, Emi was kissing him.

A strange tingling sensation shot down Neji's spine, and the Hyuuga found that he was paralysed, each limb frozen in place. Emi stood, roughly pushing him away. She spat in Tenten's direction as she rubbed her arms.

"Someone get me a cloak," she called imperiously, and the order was quickly obeyed by one of the sisters. Emi wrapped the thick jacket around her form, and glared at Neji.

"Finally, Neji- I have you at my command. I realized a long time ago that you were never going to come around to your senses- especially with what happened at the engagement party … so I devised this scheme to bring the both of you here, and kill you."

"Jealous, already?" Neji smirked.

Emi clicked her fingers and Neji's face froze. His vision was beginning to cloud, his mind wasn't working properly and his tongue wouldn't move. The only thing he could do was blink and breathe.

"Well, I'm not going to waste my breath now, am I? I'll just let you sleep for a while, and wake up in the same position that you found me in," Emi smiled and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, and left the cave with the sisters in tow. Hiroshi grabbed Neji's shoulder, and then the prodigy knew no more.

----x----

Tenten woke again a few hours later, but this time, she knew she wasn't alone- she could sense that Neji was nearby- something that she was grateful for, but where was Emi? What was the time? Where was she? How was Neji? Why was she now sitting on a chair?

"I see that you're awake now, Tenten, and Neji," Emi said quietly. "Remove the blindfolds, on the both of them," she commanded, and it was obeyed quickly.

A bright light was shining in her eyes. Tenten suddenly knew what was happening. They had been duped.

Neji blinked and shook his head, still feeling the after-effects of the poison, and looked around. Tenten sat beside him, tied to a wooden chair in a similar fashion as he. There was a chair behind the light, and he knew that Emi sat there.

"So… it's finally come down to this," Tenten said. Her voice was husky with disuse.

"What was that?" Emi leaned forward.

"Does the bad hearing run in the family, or something?" Tenten said irritably. "If I'm going to die here, I might as well get some answers to the questions I thought of."

"I'm happy to answer them, then," Emi said pleasantly.

"You're Tetsu, aren't you?" Tenten said immediately.

"I'm glad you finally noticed," Tetsu replied sarcastically.

"Tetsu…?" Neji echoed, unsure of what was happening.

"And secondly," Tenten glared at the light from anger. "Why the hell did this all happen!?!?" she shouted. The light bulb shattered with the force of raw power in her voice. "Why did you have to murder Hiashi? Why did it have to be _me_? What did Neji have to do with all of this? Why did you want to marry him? How did this all start?" she demanded, and took in several deep breaths.

Neji was only beginning to absorb the words when he realised.

"Hiashi… was murdered?" he echoed once again.

"Well, yes," Tetsu said simply. "It began a thousand years ago. One of your ancestors, Hyuuga Hideaki, was born into the clan without the bloodline limit. He was shunned and scorned by his own family because no one would acknowledge him without the Byakugan ability. But Hideaki and his family did not know of the other talents that he possessed, so he was disowned by his own father and kicked out of Konoha. He wandered aimlessly for a few days, not eating, sleeping or resting until finally, on the third day, he collapsed from exhaustion. That day, he Dreamed for the first time and found that he could make whatever he wanted in his mind become a reality. When he woke the next day, Hideaki vowed that he would create his own clan named after him. He would have his revenge upon the people who turned their backs on him, and kill the Head of the Hyuuga clan."

Tenten snorted.

"That's really original," she drawled, "and sad, too- you've held a grudge for a thousand years!"

Tetsu made some kind of signal, and Hiroshi came out of the shadows and slapped her across the face. Tenten tasted blood in her mouth, and looked up at the man. Smirking, she turned her other cheek to face his hands, and he snarled at her.

"It makes no difference, Hiroshi- I _will_ be the one to kill you," she spat her blood at him, and it marred his cheek. He wiped the blood off his face with a dirty look at her.

"Hiroshi?" Neji said, his mind starting to catch up on things a lot faster. "I thought you said that you killed him."

Hiroshi smirked.

"Well, she didn't tell you a lot of things," he said, and kneeled by Tenten's chair while looking at Neji. "Did she tell you about that time when you woke up and she had vanished and that she was in the forest… with me… and…" Hiroshi gave a significant glance to the kunoichi who paled. "Did she tell you about those bruises you saw a few days ago? Did she say how she really got them?" Hiroshi licked the side of Tenten's face, sensing triumph, and her demeanour changed automatically into a cool, emotionless mask.

"Get away from her," Neji growled.

"Make me," Hiroshi taunted as he gripped Tenten's chin between his thumb and forefinger, then kissed the weapons specialist. Tenten shut her eyes, feeling the familiar bonds on her body reacting to Hiroshi's commands. She tried once again to reach her chakra to over power him, and found that it was only faintly there- and not yet strong enough to fight against him. But it gave her hope, and she endured the few moments of asphyxiation.

"Okay enough Hiroshi! We don't need to see that!" Tetsu snapped. "If you're so attached to her, I just might make _you_ the one to kill her."

Hiroshi pulled away, and Neji smirked at Tetsu.

"Aww," he said sarcastically. "Is Tetsu jealous again?"

"Neji- please," Tenten said. "I need to know why this all happened."

Neji nodded, trying to curb his anger for the one he loved dearly, and Tenten looked expectantly at the light.

"Anyway," Tetsu sighed and looked at her nails. "I am a direct descendant of Hideaki himself, and so I was able to fully develop my powers with the help of the works left by my ancestors. Hiroshi, when he became my husband, became a part of the clan and I bestowed upon him the five seals of Hideaki, along with his four sisters. One day, Hiroshi came to me and told me that he had saw you in his sleep- that you had the potential to fulfil the noble pledge that Hideaki had made, and that you would be the one to raise our clan out of the darkness and into the light.

"We came up with a plan- Hiroshi and his sisters would go to Hyuuga Hiashi and, using our special bloodline abilities, force him to write the will dictating that Neji would have to marry me, and then they murdered his mind while he slept. I, on the other hand, would go to you as Temari and stage everything that happened on your anniversary to make sure that you would be as far apart as you could get in those few days. Then, after you split up, Hiroshi would train you for six years, and I would marry Neji and then wreak havoc on the clan with Neji as my puppet… but, of course, these last few things did not go to plan," Tetsu sighed tiredly.

"But… if you married Neji, then… what about Hiroshi? Didn't you love each other?"

"We were soul bonded. It exceeded the weak rites of 'marriage'," Hiroshi said firmly.

"You liar. It hurt, you bitch and you knew it, and you ripped up my relationship, too! You deserved every moment of pain Neji caused you!" Tenten sneered, and Tetsu glared back.

"Asuka, Akane, Hotanu and Hana!" Tetsu called. They came into the room. "I want you to put them back asleep," she commanded as she stood and left with Hiroshi.

Tenten looked at Asuka. Their eyes met, and Tenten touched on a thought in the other girl's mind.

----x----

"_You and that slut," spat Asuka. "Tetsu is the reason this is all happening. If you hadn't gotten involved with her, then this never would have happened. That stupid Hyuuga, too, and all them people who came with this! You're a stupid, egotistical bastard, you know that? You just want _her_ with you and your own sisters dead- just so you can have your petty power!" Asuka stopped for breath. "And you know what? Kill me for all I care, because Miyako will remember. She will become Tenten, and kill you, and you know it!"_

----x----

Asuka couldn't meet Tenten's eyes. She knew that everyone else in the room had heard her words, now. Her sisters were looking at her and Neji raised an eyebrow as he heard Asuka's memory.

"It was just an act," she said coolly, placing a hand on Tenten and Neji's shoulders. Her sisters all touched her hands, and, after a moment, the shinobi slumped forwards on their chairs, and the four girls left the room, Hana locking it in her wake.

----x----

Her mind and body passed in and out of consciousness in an endless cycle- she would be woken and Tetsu and Hiroshi would torment her some more, and then she'd be put back to sleep. However, Tetsu was skewing her sense of time to further disorientate her. Tenten eventually figured out that they were jumping around within the space of two weeks, judging from the welts on her wrists. Sometimes they were healed, and other times, they were still raw.

Tenten always tried to fight off the drowsiness brought on by Asuka and her sisters. In the end, she let her body succumb to the numbness, but kept her mind awake. The channel in her mind had opened, and her chakra was beginning to circulate around her body once again. She couldn't yet access her full powers, but she could sense the world around her without opening her eyes. Beyond the locked door lay a complex network of caves that were completely iced over- even if she managed to survive the next few days in her current state, she could not navigate the maze fast enough- and once they were out, they'd probably have to fight in the cold. She was losing the circulation in her body, and frostbite was likely in this situation, Tenten realised. They had to get out, and soon.

Tetsu came into the room and woke the pair up with a brisk jolt of lightning. Tenten just hated her all the more.

"Why are we still here?" Neji asked quietly. "We are of no value to you."

"Tell that to your village," Tetsu said primly. She clicked her fingers and Hiroshi dragged Hinata into the room. She was bleeding, bruised and battered. Her left arm dangled uselessly at her side.

Neji felt the rage well up inside his mind, his Byakugan instantly activated from stress and worry, and Tenten surprised everyone by laughing. For a few moments, the Hyuuga thought that she'd gone insane. The sound was cold and sent shivers down his spine. This was not the Tenten he had once known. She had grown wise and even more powerful beyond her years in a short time.

The laughter subsided and Tenten glared at the pair.

"You lie."

Her words wound sinuously into the charged atmosphere around them.

"You just shape shifted a log into her form," she said carelessly. "Besides, Hinata would never fall to you."

"Neji fell to you," Hiroshi filled in glibly, tossing aside the illusion of Hinata. "If the other Hyuuga came, we would overpower her in an instant. Nothing happens on this mountain without us knowing."

Tenten smiled serenely. She'd been preparing for a while now. Her welts were healed, her power flowed strongly in her veins.

"No," she said quietly, "not everything."

She shut her eyes and the source of light in the room exploded, hot shards of glass flying straight for Hiroshi and Tetsu. The wooden door slammed shut and Tenten unwound the rope with her mind. The old wood in her chair gave way to the call of her power, shaping itself to her will. Tenten's eyes were still shut; Neji could see that. A staff flew to her hands and the rope around her feet unwound itself smoothly.

The kunoichi took only the smallest of breaths before swinging out her staff, striking both Hiroshi and Tetsu in the smooth motion. They slumped in the corner, knocked unconscious by the sheer power in the blow.

Neji could not help but gape. How she had kept her chakra hidden from him was a surprise. Tenten seemed to guess his thoughts.

"Not now," she said. "We need to get out of here first."

----x----

Tenten led the way in the dark, her bare feet hardly feeling the icy cold rock. She kept a mental note of where they were in her head and turned left to where their weapons were stored.

"They're stupid," Neji muttered. "Keeping the weapons together would ensure that we'd be totally armed if we escaped."

"They hadn't counted on my abilities," Tenten said with a smirk. "I'm not complaining about their stupidity though."

They discovered that the lock on the door was more like a wall of chakra that burned the skin when touched. Neji activated his Byakugan silently, and found no weak spots, so Tenten sighed. Hiroshi had taught her about locked doors such as these, so she reached into her mind and formed some seals, her fingers glowing with golden chakra. She deftly slammed her palm into the centre of the door and it splintered soundlessly, sending woodchips flying.

Unfortunately, there was someone else in there, intent on stopping them. Tenten quickly summoned her katana to her fingers and blocked the blow against the kodachi. Tenten's kodaichi. In a matter of seconds, her opponent was disarmed with a katana and a kodachi at her throat.

Tenten glared down at Hana, who was panting. She was obviously unused to combat of any kind, and had put up a pathetic fight.

"I admire your audacity Hana," Tenten spat. "Get up, slowly, and make no sudden movements."

Hana obeyed, her green hair glinting in the dim light from the torch outside. Nothing could hide the hatred in her eyes.

"Now, unlock our weapons slowly, and don't you dare try to use them against us or tell _anyone _that we're here, got it? I could make you regret it in more than one way," Tenten threatened as she pressed both weapons against Hana's back. Hana nodded and passed back their weapons.

Once she was equipped, Tenten commanded Hana to turn around.

"You know," she said conversationally. "I had once vowed to myself I would kill you all if I ever saw you again." Tenten sheathed her weapons swiftly and quickly grabbed Hana's face, pressing her thumb against her temples. Hana was silent, and Neji frowned as he watched. Tenten stared into Hana's eyes, and the young woman fainted. Tenten laid her gently on a rug on the floor.

The weapons expert stood up and turned to Neji, who nodded, and they quickly ran up to the exit with Tenten leading the way once again, her sole purpose to find the way out. They arrived at the surface, panting. The snow was blindingly white and the air was thin, but they were used to it, and it was achingly cold.

"Well, well, what have we here?"

Tenten turned to the source of the sarcastic voice. Asuka, Akane and Hotanu stood, partly down the mountain. Their escape had been imminent.

"Well, well…" Tenten mimicked as she sighed. "It's you three- the one with the fiery temper, the firefly… and the most beautiful of the sisters; Akane, Hotanu and Asuka. Sorry if we kept you waiting."

"Not a problem," Asuka said sweetly, and the three of them ran up the mountain, and surrounded the pair.

"I hope you put up a better fight that Hana- it was quite pathetic, really," Tenten said breezily as she pulled out two katanas from thin air. One glowed as red as hot lava and the other was so black it seemed to suck in the light. Both weapons shocked you into looking at it; a stark contrast to the white snow.

Neji cracked his knuckles and glared at Hotanu, activating his bloodline limit without a word.

"I'll take Asuka and Hotanu," Tenten said quietly.

"And then we'll have to try and avoid Hiroshi and Emi."

"Tetsu," Tenten corrected immediately. Emi was the conniving girl who had tried to seduce Neji. Tetsu was the enemy- Tenten knew that she could not afford to take any of it personally.

Neji grunted in response and Tenten spun her katana in alternating directions. Neji felt the heat of the red blade as it passed by his face and then the icy cold chill of the black. They were made to be used together and, in Tenten's hands, could guarantee success in any battle and excruciating pain for the enemy.

Their enemies' attacks were swift and brutal. They raised their hands and looked directly at Tenten and Neji, directing their energy towards them. It came in a glowing ball of pure energy.

Tenten dodged the crackling energy nimbly, deflecting the stray wisps of electricity with her black katana. In the same movement, she slammed her red katana into the ground, melting the snow, and filling the crack with lava.

Asuka leapt out of the way. Tenten was still blinded by the whirling snowflakes but she sensed the other woman's mind and spun, slashing downwards with her red katana, nicking Asuka's arm. The burn would scar forever. Hot blood splattered onto the snow and Asuka fell back, calling up more wind to distract Tenten from her other sister.

The kunoichi was five moves ahead of the two of them. She turned against the wind, lashing out with her black katana, slashing in a cruel arc down Akane's leg. More blood mingled with the snow. Akane limped backwards, cursing and lunged at Tenten again. She wielded fire like a chain and it lashed at Tenten's feet as Asuka sapped at the weapon mistress' energy with whirling gales that wrapped around her enemy. Tenten dropped her black katana in the snow and Akane pulled her further away from the weapon with the rope of flames.

Taking a deep breath, Hotanu lunged at Neji with lightning at her fingertips. Neji fell into his Jyuuken stance and she matched him blow for blow. Neji felt his fingers tingle as his nerves reacted to the electricity. She was only zapping him now, but he sensed a change in the wind; a storm was gathering, and he knew that Hotanu and Asuka were the causes of it. Neji was blinded by a bright flash of lightning and something slammed into his chest. The Hyuuga fell back into the snow, winded. His heart was racing and he could hardly move.

Suddenly, a vine wrapped around his feet and hauled him through the snow. His fingers touched something deathly cold and Neji knew what it was. His palm closed around the hilt and he swung out, cutting the plant. There was a high pitched keen and Neji rolled over, using the weapon to help him stand.

He was still injured, but he swung out the blade in a wide arc. He saw Tenten free herself and look in his direction. Time seemed to slow and the blade freed itself from his grasp, wounding Hana as it cut a small capillary in her neck as it whipped past her.

Hotanu shrieked and rushed at Neji once again, lightning surrounding her. She looked unearthly and ethereal in that one moment, and the Hyuuga knew he would not survive being struck by lightning a second time. He spun quickly on one leg, emitting chakra from his pores. Hotanu did not falter and slammed into the blue dome. Neji felt the shockwaves reverberate through his skeleton but he did not falter for a moment. Suddenly, the lightning was gone, and Hotanu flew up into the sky, her arms outspread like she was flying. Five bolts of lightning struck her in the heart and her form vanished- ash to be scattered across the land. She was the first of the new Hideaki generation to join her ancestors.

Tenten felt Hotanu's life flare out, and was distracted by the sudden loss. Akane dove in from the side, attempting to cut Tenten's leg. The kunoichi jumped, flinging the red katana into Akane's chest, piercing her heart, but could not avoid the chakra infused wind that left a long gash down her right arm. The warm, precious blood dripped down to the snow, as did Akane's and she died within moments. Tenten wrenched the blade free, taking two steps backwards.

Neji and Tenten both felt the other at their backs. Despite their injuries, they were stronger than this. They would get through this together… or die together. The pair did not speak or communicate in anyway, but simply breathed in and out slowly and fought once again.

Hana winced as Neji dodged both vines she wielded. He ducked under the first and grabbed the second, although it did cut into his hand. The Hyuuga tugged, and the woman stumbled forwards into the snow. She pressed her hands into the snow and her fingertips brushed against the earth. A thorny vine shot out from beneath Neji and he dodged it as it lashed out at him. He spun around once again and delivered a chakra filled blow to Hana's chest. Her blood fell onto his hand as she coughed, and the light left her eyes as she fell to the ground. Neji used the snow to wipe the blood away, the tension evident in his eyes.

Asuka summoned a weapon of her own, but it stood no chance against Tenten's weapon of fire and shattered after the first bone jarring blow. The woman, suddenly afraid, backed away from the weapons specialist.

"Tenten… I loved you like a sister!" she pleaded pathetically. "The thought that you picked up from my mind was real! That _is_ how I feel!"

"Asuka," Tenten said lazily. "We both know that isn't true."

Asuka was trapped between Tenten and the edge of the mountain. The blonde was utterly exhausted and she knew that her time had come. Using the last of her energy, and the last seal of the Hideaki clan, she shut her eyes and her chakra flowed out of her body. The black mark crawled down her arms and she poured it into the ice. The precipice she had been standing on broke away. She died before she hit the icy rocks below. The kunoichi turned away, and began to limp towards Neji.

"Are you o-" she began to say, but she was cut off by his lips as he kissed her passionately. All the cold left her body, and she returned the kiss with every effort she could muster.

Then, it was over. Neji stepped back, with a hand to his chest. He was panting, and his face was ashen, like he was sick.

"Neji!" The shrill, echoing scream brought his attention. He looked to Tenten- her face was stricken with horror.

"You… I can't see you," he said faintly.

He turned around and Hiroshi stood there with a wicked looking weapon. Emi- or was it Tetsu? – stood beside him, her hands pressed together with glee. Her jutsu had worked. Tenten's eyes narrowed; she knew exactly what Tetsu had done. With a growl, she began to run over to the pair standing on top of the cliff.

Neji felt strangely light, like he was floating away. He shook his head and jumped up onto cliff with Tenten. The kunoichi had broken all of the bonds that Hiroshi had held upon her the moment she'd seen Tetsu poison Neji. She scaled the small cliff in the blink of an eye and pounced on the man and punched him in the face.

"I hate you!" she screamed, tears beginning to fall like the snowflakes around them. "You took everything away from me!"

Tetsu did not need to even try and read her thoughts; they all screamed of rage, desperation and a massive amount of hysteria. The raw emotion was scalding and she could not bear to keep contact with the kunoichi's mind.

Neji climbed over the lip of the rock as Tenten summoned a pair of mismatched scrolls- one was apple green, and the other was pink. Neji frowned- the weapons in the green scrolls all required blood.

Tenten opened the pink scroll with shaking fingers and ran a kunai along both of her inner arms, miraculously cutting none of the veins that stood out on her pale skin.

"Tenten…" Neji said softly. "What are you…?"

Tenten ignored him and unrolled the scrolls, and jumped over the edge of the cliff that looked into the small valley. The scrolls unfurled and created a spheric cocoon around her body, and then weapons rained down from her fingers, along with her blood.

Tetsu calmly used her powers to deflect the metal, but Hiroshi could only take so much; the anger in Tenten was so overwhelming it made him sick.

Neji watched through hazy eyes as the scrolls continued to spin after the weapons stopped falling. Tenten summoned the last pair of katana on her green scroll and dove down, slamming the weapon into Hiroshi's heart as he attempted to stand. There was no glory, but only the warm splatter of his blood that arced across the snow and onto her skin and face as he fell to the ground. He was no more, anywhere in the world.

Still, the tears continued to fall as Tenten panted. Her arms were no longer bleeding, but the blood on the hilt that belonged to her fell to the snow mixing with that of her enemy. She stood there, panting.

With just a cruel thrust of her blade, she had ended the source of misery in her life… but there was no joy; just the insanity that threatened to overwhelm her. Everything was just too much for her senses.

Tetsu prepared herself for a death curse, and Tenten's heart sank as she felt the gathering of negative energy. The young woman stood still as she now prepared herself for a suicide technique, eyes shut. When her eyes slid open once again, they were pitch-black. The strange markings were shifting and gliding across her skin and Tenten could read the meanings of all of the symbols.

Tenten took a deep breath in and out, taking up a different stance. Neji did not know what she was doing. With both hands on the hilt of the blade, the metal began to shimmer as it repelled snowflakes. The same field of energy began to glow brightly with white energy and Tetsu's eyes widened.

She lunged at Tenten with one of Tenten's fallen blades. Neji could only watch through misted eyes, the world sliding slowly out of focus.

Tetsu's skill with blades were, Tenten had to say, impressive. It was not the first time she had wished an enemy was an ally. The two women could match each other blow for blow but Tenten's strength and experience were beginning to give her an edge despite the fact that she knew she was tiring.

Tetsu could not read her opponent's thoughts; everything was blissfully blank and silent within Tenten's mind and she had complete faith and confidence in her own abilities. Suddenly, the kunoichi ducked and thrust her katana up in a fluid arc, cutting Tetsu across her body from her left thigh up to her right shoulder.

Hideaki Tetsu stumbled back and met Tenten's eyes. The kunoichi blanched, knowing what she was doing- she had experienced a death curse before, and it had not been pretty. She did what any sensible person would do- she scaled the cliff in two chakra enhanced jumps, tugged on Neji's hand and, together, they ran as fast and as far as they could.

The Hyuuga could not see a thing beyond Tenten's arm. His eyes were watering with the speed at which they were running and then everything around them faded into darkness and the only thing keeping him running was Tenten's hand tugging on his.

Tears blurred Tenten's vision and, with a sudden surge of power from the depths of her mind, they were running down the main road in Konoha.

The pair stopped running. Neji was awestruck.

The kunoichi was laughing hysterically. She spun around and kissed Neji on the lips. He gently wrapped his arms around her and when she pulled away to breathe, Neji's arms dropped from her waist and he fell to the ground.

Every moment seemed to go forever and beyond, and the dust in the street seemed to float around his body.

"Neji!" Tenten cried, kneeling at his side, her tears falling onto his face. She shook him desperately, but it had no effect on the Hyuuga whatsoever. "Neji!" she sobbed, and took him into her arms and kissed him.

Everything faded away from their ears as their lips touched. Tenten grasped his hand tightly, and Neji weakly placed his other hand on Tenten's cheek.

The kunoichi felt his essence just… vanish, and she broke away, screaming in anguish and terror.


End file.
